Peace in Our Time: Mutiny
by DC-MarvelGirl 1997
Summary: Volume 2 of Peace in Our Time: The X-men are now known publicly to the world, and manage to find two new allies. Senator Kelly is looking to register them underneath government contract. Mystique and Magneto are plotting to create a homeland for mutants.
1. Issue 21: New Beginning

**A/N:**

**Greetings everyone! MarvelMaster 616 and I are back with another volume of Peace in Our Time, which means Peace in Our Time: Mutiny, is here and will continue to expand this ongoing series MarvelMaster and I have collaborated on together. Ever since the end of Peace in Our Time: Generation X, corruptions have taken place after Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane kidnapped and murdered Warren Worthington III's girlfriend, Candy Southern. As the X-men continue to grieve and cope with their loss, the United States government continues to hate and fear mutants, which will further be explained in this volume. This volume takes place about four months after the events of volume one. Once again, I would greatly appreciate it if you review! I thrive off constructive criticism of any kind. Per usual, I will be updating bi-weekly, unless I say otherwise. Additionally, I would encourage you all to go and check out MarvelMaster's series X-men Supreme! However, what I recommend if you are a new reader, to read Volume 1 first. Volume 1 is titled Peace in Our Time: Generation X**

**Also, be sure to check out my newest X-men story The Evolution Project and support me over there! Excelsior, muties!–**

**XOXO, Danielle, aka DC-MarvelGirl 1997**

* * *

_Born with extraordinary powers of telepathy, Charles Xavier became known to the world after having formed the company of X-Corporation with Howard Stark, a company which helps employ mutants to secure their futures. After the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark, Charles took their prodigal son, Tony, under his wing, as they proceeded to look for more recruits into the company._

_Recruiting five young men and one young woman, Forge, Hank McCoy, Warren Worthington III, Jean Grey, Scott Summers and Bobby Drake, the name of X-Corporation took on a new meaning when they stopped Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from attacking presidential-hopeful Senator Edward Kelly. Shortly after having helped Alpha Flight arrest the Brotherhood, X-Corporation's future employees became known to the public as the X-men._

_Unfortunately, this came with a price. After Warren Worthington III's father was blackmailed by Cameron Hodge to give Hodge the Legacy Cure, Hodge and Obadiah Stane took it to Genosha, where they were keeping over twenty mutant children and young adults as hostages. In addition to planning on murdering over a dozen mutants, Hodge kidnapped Warren's girlfriend, Candy Southern. _

_Shortly after the X-men had rescued the mutant prisoners, Hodge brutally murdered Candy. As the X-men grieve the loss of their friend, they are now finding that they are being known publicly. Some view them as heroes. Some view them as monsters. What is in store for our heroes as they embark on their newest adventure in Volume 2 of Peace in Our Time?_

* * *

**Issue 21: New Beginning**

**Stark Hotel, Casino and Spa – Atlantic City, New Jersey **

Life is like an hourglass, and the sand is running through. Eventually, it stops, so what you do with your life is meaningful. For Tony Stark, this meaning couldn't be truer. For the past four months, life went on, and he found that he was working on fulfilling his life by making sure that he continued moving forward. Tony knew in moments such as this that Hank McCoy would take advantage to quote a great philosopher such as William Shakespeare, because their lives four months ago had played out like nothing short of a Greek tragedy.

The murdering of Candy Southern still weighed heavily on all of the X-men, but, they were finding ways to continue living. Warren had graduated from college, Scott and Jean both got their GED thanks to tutoring from Hank McCoy and Bobby was still going to school like any normal teenage boy. Charles Xavier was working closely with and mentoring Warren on the job as the new CFO of X-Corporation.

Ever since the X-men have exposed themselves to the world, they were already receiving recognition, a mixture of both good and bad from people. It was thanks to them that Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane were in prison on Rikers Island and had been exposed for the frauds that they were. However, Senator Kelly was still highly adamant about using the Sentinels and forming a mutant registration act. As far as everyone knew, Senator Kelly and Bolivar Trask hadn't agreed to allow Hodge and Stane to hold mutant hostages of Genosha, and as a result, the senator, Trask and Warren Worthington, Jr. had dissolved their partnership with Stane and Hodge. However, that also meant that Senator Kelly was going to have to do a lot to prove himself to people.

But, for Tony, right now, he was focusing on the grand opening of his newest business venture: Stark Hotel, Casino and Spa in Atlantic City. The hotel was something that Tony had been working on for the course of two years, and it was finally built, completed and ready for a grand opening worthy of press and dozens of people being there.

Tony stood there in front of his thousands upon thousands of guests who were there for the opening. Fireworks were going off in the night sky. Everyone was cheering as Tony stood on the stage in the main dining room of the restaurant attached to the hotel.

"Hello, everyone," Tony said with a smile, and he was met with a roaring applause from every single person that. "Thank you, I am glad to see that you all are enjoying the grand opening of this fabulous hotel."

"WE LOVE YOU, TONY!" someone yelled out.

"Thank you, thank you very much I love you all too. Now, I am not saying that my company, X-Corporation, and I, are responsible for this country enjoying its longest lasting amount of peace for the first time in years. I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back and relax on a lawn chair, sipping on a Long Island iced tea because I haven't come across anyone who is man enough to go toe to toe with me and my X-Corporation employees on our best day! It's not about me. It's not about my X-Corp employees. It's not about you! It's about legacy! It's about what we work to leave behind. Things have been getting better ever since my X-men and I started to fight on behalf of everyone in the United States of America. The Brotherhood is locked away with Alpha Flight, awaiting their prison transfer which will be taking place about this month.

"Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane are imprisoned on Rikers. Next time you think that mutants are the cause of all your problems in your lives, think of the X-men and what they've done for all of you! Now, I know that there are many out there that still hate and fear mutants, but, I can assure you, that the X-men are working towards privatizing world peace!" Tony flashed a peace sign with his hands to show the crowd. Everyone cheered even more as a result. "Also, I plan to make Stark Hotel, Casino and Spa a safe haven for mutants, where they will be able to enjoy the luxuries of a vacation, and if they want, they can have an employment here! This is a place that has got no issue keeping mutants employed! I mean, I am hearing there's one mutant out there whose mutant power is being lucky! I think she can work well at the Roulette table just fine if you ask me." The crowd let out a series of laughs as he winked. "It's the perfect opportunity to create job opportunities for mutants everywhere who are struggling with finding employment. Now, I can say, that I did one hell of a job. Now, everyone, relax and enjoy the new Stark Hotel, Casino and Spa here in its first location in Atlantic City!"

A large round of applause followed, and Tony followed his bodyguard, Happy Hogan, off the stage and to his private car which was set aside for him to go home for the night. He knew that the X-Corporation employees were home; hopefully sleeping in their beds. But, Tony also knew that for Warren Worthington III, he was most likely crying himself to sleep like he'd been doing for the past few months. Ever since the murdering of his girlfriend, Warren had been going to the cemetery where Candy was buried every single day, and he cried himself to sleep at night. Warren was still mourning, but, that also included him going out to clubs every night as well to try and drink away his troubles. However, Professor Xavier was trying to steer Warren as far away from the partying lifestyle as much as he could manage to.

As Tony exited the hotel, he was bombarded by fans that were waiting for autographs and photos, as well as a couple of celebrities. From Chris Evans, to Sophie Turner and her fiance Joe Jonas, to Robert Downy, Jr. to Anna Paquin and her husband Stephen Moyer, the grand opening of the hotel was practically a red carpet event.

"Hello, everyone, hello, hello," Tony said to everybody there. He found himself taking Snapchat photos with several fans, flashing peace signs in the pictures. "Hugh Jackman, Debs, very nice to meet you two, oh Ryan Reynolds – by the way, Mr. Reynolds I don't hold the _Green Lantern _movie against you and Blake, say hello to the wife and girls for me. Hello, Mr. Hemsworth." Tony threw a wink towards Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as he and Happy continued to walk towards his private car, which had been delivered to him. When he arrived, he saw the person that was there next to the Mercedes that was there awaiting him.

"Hello . . . um . . ." Tony started to say to the woman.

"Gia," the woman said.

"Ahh, Gia, Italian, I like it, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you Tony," the young woman said. That was the moment when Tony stepped into the car with Happy, and Gia handed him an envelope.

"Oh, I-I can't," Tony said.

"He hates being handed things," Happy explained as he took the envelope. That was the moment they both saw what the envelope was. It was a letter announcing Tony and the X-men were wanted in Washington, D.C to appear before the courts there the next day, which didn't surprise Tony. Senator Kelly had been wanting Tony and the X-men to appear before the courts for months. However, Tony understood that it was because Senator Kelly was looking to register the X-men under a government contract.

"You and the X-men have a court summons to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow at ten A.M," Gia explained. "And this is Senator Kelly's final order."

"Oh," Tony said.

"Tony, you do not have to have the X-men appear before the courts tomorrow," said Happy.

"No, no, actually, we should be there. Have Pepper arrange me and my employees a hotel room so we can be there by tomorrow morning. The sooner the better," Tony insisted.

"Okay." Happy put the keys in the ignition and proceeded to drive them towards X-Corporation Tower.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Warren's Room **

For Warren Worthington III, life for the past four months has been proving to be harder on him than he ever could have expected it to be.

The murdering of his girlfriend, Candy Southern, was something that pained him deeply all those months. For the most part, ever since his girlfriend died, he'd found himself drinking a lot more excessively than he typically would. He just wanted something to help him numb the pain. He couldn't even look at a photo of Candy without bursting into tears.

The hardest part of the whole grieving process was going through Candy's personal items, cleaning her closet and drawers out, as well as collecting items that had meant a lot to her: stuffed bears that had been her favorite that she hadn't wanted to get rid of, her favorite books, perfume that she wore almost daily – Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream, and one of her more cherished birthday gifts that had been from Warren. It had been a ring with her birthstone that was shaped like a birthday cake, with two white diamonds on the sides, completely custom-made just for her. He remembered that that had been a promise ring he'd given to her, and he remembered being so excited to give her that ring as a birthday gift. And he was going to keep that ring, because it brought him a memory of Candy which had been his favorite.

Warren laid there on top of his sheets, staring at the promise ring he'd given Candy two years ago. Tears stung in his eyes as he examined it. Lord, how he missed her. But, he hated crying. He'd cried like a baby for hours after Candy's death had been announced to him. He'd broken down at the court hearing for Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane when he'd been asked to testify as the person who had taken her to the hospital the night that she had died. He didn't think that he had had any tears left in him.

As Warren laid there on his bed, the tears rolling down his face, he saw Beast standing there in the doorway.

"Hi Warren," Hank said.

Warren sat up, brushing the tears out of his eyes. "Hey, Hank," he said.

"Warren, I hate to inform you, but Tony got another summon from Senator Kelly saying we must appear before the courts," Hank said.

"Again? When is Senator Kelly gonna realize that the X-men aren't government property?" asked Warren in a bored tone. He was completely over this.

"Well, he's still in pursuit. We'll be going there, tomorrow. But, I didn't come here to talk about that. I came to talk about you. Warren, you've been shutting yourself out from everyone for the past four months. Drinking and night clubs are not going to bring Candy back," Beast said.

"Easy for you to say, Hank; your love life seems to be pretty damn stable. I mean, you've been volunteering at that eye clinic for over a year, and I _doubt _that it's to help blind people see again. You've been seeing that Carly girl pretty often, and better yet she's _safe!_" Warren pointed out.

"Hey, do not compare yourself to me, Warren. What Carly and I have . . . I do not know what it is exactly between us, but, I'm not sure how long it will last, especially after she sees the real me," Hank said.

"But you've got an image inducer which helps you appear human. Why don't you use that?" asked Warren.

"Because . . . I just . . . that's not me. And I fear that if I hide behind that it would make me look like a coward," Hank explained.

"Oh please, Hank, for the love of God!" Warren sounded exasperated as he got up from the bed. "Hiding behind a holo-watch doesn't mean you're a coward! It means that people won't have to know whether or not you're a mutant! I mean, look at what we're dealing with, Hank! At least with that watch, you can be _safe _from all that!"

Hank sat there, digesting Warren's words, but, he still had a point to make. "Warren, at the press conference that Tony had hosted I had turned that image inducer off just like the rest of you! The world knows that Hank McCoy is a mutant covered in blue fur! Why should I try to hide it?"

Warren let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, you've got a point there, Beast. You do. But, still, I wish that things could just be easier. I mean, these past four months have been hell for me! I could have saved Candy, but I failed!"

"We all failed her that night, Warren. We did that as a team," Hank reminded him, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Sure, Hank was older than Warren by a year, but, the two had always been close. "Look, I know you do not believe it, but none of what happened to Candy was your fault, my friend. Besides, we are all going to D.C tomorrow for what will hopefully be our first and final time. So make sure you get some rest tonight." Patting Warren on the shoulder, the big blue beast left the room, leaving Warren with his thoughts.

'What the hell am I doing, sitting here feeling sorry for myself?' Warren thought as he stood there, still clutching the promise ring he'd given to Candy those years back. 'Hank and the professor are right. Why am I acting like I deserve to suffer? Why am I wasting my life away with things that are only temporary?' He proceeded to open up the window to his bedroom and turned his image inducing watch off to reveal his uniform which allowed his wings to be exposed.

He jumped out of the window and proceeded to break into flight, which allowed him to reach a high altitude and speed as he soared through the air, the cold evening air hitting his face as his wings flapped. Being in the clouds allowed him to escape his worries and troubles that were below. When he reached his desired altitude, he allowed himself to just float there in the air, his eyes closed as he breathed a deep sigh. He took Hank's words to heart. He knew that blaming himself for the death of his girlfriend wasn't the answer, but, he also knew that he needed a coping mechanism that was less dangerous and destructive than drinking away his problems. Finally, for the first time in four months, he allowed himself to do the one thing that he hadn't wanted to do: accept that Candy was gone, and that it was not his fault.

'Goodbye, Candy,' Warren thought silently, and proceeded to just fly through the air, leaving his worries behind him.

* * *

**Jean's Room**

Laying back on her bed, Jean Grey found she was staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom as she and Scott stayed there in silence, watching _Transformers: Dark of the Moon. _However, neither one was paying too much attention to the plot of the film.

Over the course of the past five months, Scott and Jean's lives changed in ways they hadn't expected. Before Tony and Professor Xavier recruited them to X-Corporation to become prodigies of Tony's, the two had been no-name nobodies with powers they didn't understand. They had lived every day of their lives in fear over what they could do. But through Tony's connections, they had gained unlikely friendships and a family, something they could have only dreamed about.

'I never thought we'd be able to have the second chances that we've been given, Scott,' Jean said, telepathically.

'Same here, Red,' Scott replied as the movie continued to play.

However, these new opportunities had come with consequences, most notably, Candy Southern's death at the hands of Cameron Hodge. It had been a moment that reminded them all of their failure as a team. All they could hope and pray for was that they wouldn't have to face something like that again.

As Scott and Jean continued to sit there, watching the film, they could hear knocking at Jean's bedroom door.

"It's Bobby!" Bobby called to them.

"You can come in," Jean said, straightening herself up on her bed. Scott followed her lead as Bobby came into the room, a disenchanted look on his face.

"Guys, I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Tony got a summons delivered to him in Atlantic City. We're being called by Senator Kelly because he's looking to register us as an armed weapon," Bobby said.

"Well, we might as well go, because he's never going to quit," Jean said with a shake of her head.

"We've gotta be there tomorrow, ten in the morning. Pepper already booked us a hotel room, so you might as well pack your bags," Bobby said, before leaving the room and shutting the door.

Scott and Jean both shook their heads. They were hoping for a quiet, relaxing night of watching a movie. Now, that was to be interrupted because they needed to pack their bags to go to Washington, D.C.

"Not exactly what I would have chosen to do," Jean said as she telekinetically retrieved her duffel bag and began to use her telekinesis to unzip it and pack clothes away. She made sure to pack pajamas, her slippers, some of her nicer dress clothes, sweat pants, t-shirts, shoes, stockings, and toiletries, not sure how many days they were going to be stuck in Washington.

"Well we've got no choice, Jean. Tony can only do so much to avoid this, but we knew that it was coming. We need to answer before the courts," Scott said with a sigh as he watched Jean pack her clothes. "But you've got to hand it to Senator Kelly. He's persistent."

Jean breathed out a sigh. "I'm just thinking about Warren. He doesn't need this. His girlfriend just died four months ago, Scott," she said. "None of us need this. But all I can hope for is that tomorrow, we can make our case, and close the book."

Scott nodded and gave her a high-five before heading off to his own bedroom to pack his bags. All the young X-men could hope for was that tomorrow, they would be able to end this and make Senator Kelly see their side.

'I can only hope and pray that tomorrow, Senator Kelly isn't going to be too much of pain,' Jean thought as she zipped her bag up with her telekinesis and laid down on her bed. 'But then again, that would be very wishful thinking. Maybe I should just hope we'll be convincing enough and persuade Senator Kelly to not force us to register under the government.'

* * *

**Up next: Calm Before the Storm**


	2. Issue 22: Calm Before the Storm

_In a world that hates and fears mutants, the X-men continue to be protectors against anti-mutant prejudice and mutant supremacists. With the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants now in prison with Alpha Flight, the X-men had braved a battle against Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane on Genosha. Unfortunately, they tragically lost their close friend, Warren's girlfriend Candy Southern. Over the past few months, the X-men have found that they have been under more scrutiny than usual. Having made the decision to publicly expose their identities, the X-men are aware of the risks that come with it._

_Now, as Tony Stark, their employer, opens his latest business venture, Stark Hotel, Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the X-men are finding that they have been called into a court hearing by Senator Edward Kelly, who is looking to get the X-men under a government contract to force them to become a non-independent organization._

* * *

**Issue 22: Calm Before the Storm**

**Supreme Court of the United States – Washington, D.C **

The next morning, Tony Stark, Charles Xavier, Pepper Potts and their X-Corporation employees were sitting in the Supreme Court of the United States, facing the hearing.

They knew over the course of the past two months; Senator Kelly had been hounding them to make an appearance so that he could decide what would be most effective. However, all the X-men knew was that he was just looking to put them underneath a government contract, because Senator Kelly saw them as a weapon. That was why they all wanted nothing more than to get it over with. Warren and Bobby were especially looking forward to it being over, because it seemed as though over the course of the past couple months, they've gotten nothing but harassment from people.

In addition to the X-men, Tony, Professor Xavier and Pepper, Carol Danvers, Logan Howlett and John Proudstar were there as well. Sitting there in her knee-length burgundy dress, Jean felt the nervousness sinking in. She knew that Senator Kelly was determined to try getting mutants to register, and the first step for him would be getting the X-men to be government property just like how Alpha Flight was. The last thing Jean wanted was to feel as though she was at somebody else's mercy. After having spent the past few years of her life locked away in a mental hospital, she had been more than happy to have control over her life again. Now, there was the possibility that it would all be taken away again.

As the X-men sat there with Carol, Logan and John, Tony was talking quietly with Pepper and Professor Xavier, not even breaking a sweat. How he could be so relaxed at a moment like this, Scott and Hank would never even attempt to understand. Warren adjusted his tie around his neck, biting on his lower lip when Senator Edward Kelly announced that they were presuming where they had left off from the last time that they were there.

"We will pick up now from where we left off before the break," Senator Kelly was saying. "Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark!"

"Yes, dear?" Tony asked, turning around to the face the senator and managing to get chuckles out of people in the room. Bobby snickered, but, Scott, Warren and Jean were burrowing their faces into their hands in exasperation that Tony would make a joke at a time like this. Pepper shook her head. She knew that they were in for a long day.

"Can I have your attention, please?" asked Senator Kelly.

"Absolutely." Tony grinned. Jean suppressed a groan. Scott sighed out of sympathy for her. None of them wanted to be there, him and Jean especially. Forge in particular didn't want to be there either, but he also knew when he and Tony had designed the X-men suits, that they were going to face a lot of attention. Scott shared a look with Logan and Carol, and even they looked annoyed by Tony's behavior. He was one of the faces of X-Corporation, and here he was acting like a jerk.

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?" asked the senator.

"No, I do not. And quite frankly, they're not a weapon. They're a team of my employees who went out of their way to save your life, last time I checked," Tony quipped.

"And you have a fifteen-year-old boy with ice-manipulating powers, who doesn't have a college degree, working for you," Senator Kelly said.

"Well, Robert Drake isn't necessarily working _for _me . . . he's . . . let's call him, Scott Summers and Jean Grey my apprentices if you will," Tony stated.

"And you still do not think that they are a weapon?" asked Senator Kelly sternly.

"Just because they have superpowers, Senator, it doesn't mean that they are a weapon or an army. I will describe them by defining them as they are. They are a team of young mutants who are going out of their way to kick some ass to keep this country safe from mutant extremists like Magneto and his Brotherhood."

"They're a weapon," the senator said.

"Well _I _think your priorities should be on the well-being of the people of this nation considering you're running for president, Senator Kelly," Tony pointed out.

"My priority is to get the X-men underneath government contract so that they can work for us to ensure that they won't act out of line," Kelly retorted.

"Senator, last time I checked that actually violates human rights because you're looking to force these kids to register, to make them work under your terms, so you can decide for them when it will be necessary to act," Tony said.

"I will take that over them potentially destroying property; it's either that, or they can end up in jail for acting as vigilantes," Kelly said to him.

"Oh really, now?" Tony asked. "This is how you thank me and my employees for having saved your life five months ago? Well, I was expecting something better. Maybe a toast with some Champagne." His statement got some laughter from the crowd. But, Jean and Warren were not amused. And when they looked over at the professor, he didn't seem happy either.

"Oh God," whispered Jean, rubbing her temples. "I think I'm getting a migraine!"

"Me too," whispered Warren, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"My priority is to get the X-men turned over to the United States of America." Senator Kelly kept his voice calm, yet stern.

"Well, then you can forget it," Tony quipped. "They work for me, not for you! Scott Summers and Jean Grey are Professor Charles Xavier's kids –"

"By adoption," Senator Kelly said.

"By adoption, yes, but, as far as we're concerned you do not _own _them. They're not your dogs," Tony quipped. "To turn them over, well, that can amount to servitude or prostitution depending on what country you happen to be from." That got even more laughter from the crowd. Scott burrowed his face into his hands. He was beyond sick of this. "You cannot have them."

"Well, I am not an expert," Senator Kelly said.

"In prostitution? Of course not, you're a senator, c'mon!" Tony said.

Hank and Forge shared wide-eyed looks with each other in shock at the words that were coming out of Tony's mouth. Even the professor and Pepper looked mortified. John, Logan and Carol shook their heads. This wasn't the least bit funny to any of them.

"Well, I figured we should bring in the experts of weapons, please welcome William Stryker, former Marines veteran, as well as Colonel Jeffery Moss and General Thaddeus Ross." The three men rose from their seats to speak.

"No disrespect, Senator, but, I will be sitting here waiting for an _actual _weapons expert to be in attendance," said Tony.

Carol shot Tony a glare. "Stark shut up!" she hissed. Logan leaned a hand onto her shoulder.

"Easy there, tiger," he told her.

"Really? The former living weapon telling _me_ to take it easy! That's rich," Carol hissed to her lover as Moss, Ross and Stryker began to speak.

"Absolutely, we're no experts," said Colonel Moss. "But, Mr. Stark, and Mr. Summers, may I ask you _who _were experts? Your fathers and your mother, Howard Stark, and Christopher and Katherine Ann Summers; they _were_ the real experts."

"But, we should be clear, they were no flower children. They were lions," Ross said.

"I'm aware of that, sir. My father was a war hero and my mother was nothing short of a genius in terms of military sciences," Scott said, feeling the need to speak on the behalf of both his late parents.

"Well, during these past five months, Anthony Stark and Charles Xavier and their team of X-men have created a sword with untold possibilities," Stryker stated. The more these three called Tony "Anthony" the more it seemed to piss him off. "And yet, Stark insists that it's a shield. He asks us to trust him and these kids that he's got running around playing superhero as we coward behind them."

"I wish that I were comforted, Anthony, I really do," Moss said. "I'd like to leave the door unlocked when I leave the house, but, this isn't Canada."

"Well what the hell's that supposed to mean, bub?" Logan spat, rising from his chair and feeling tempted to bitch slap this man. Carol and John grabbed his arms to pull him back into his seat. "Ya think it's easier fer mutants like Proudstar and me just because we live in Canada? Newsflash, bub, it ain't! Because if I remember correctly, not that I have _half _of my memories, but, prior to getting adamantium bones, I'd had a semi-normal life and it was probably good as gold, until Weapon X decided to drag me into their freak show! So therefor, if ya think yer gonna drag these kids into workin' fer ya against their will, yer outta yer mind, bub!"

"You know, we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mr. Stark and his rag-tag team of mutants will not always be able to foresee," Moss continued to say, as if he hadn't even heard what Logan had had to say. "Thank you. God bless the X-men and God bless America."

"Thank you, Moss, Ross and Stryker, thank you very much. However, I feel that before the court, we will need a third opinion. So, may I please welcome Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes?" asked Senator Kelly.

"Wait, Rhodey?" Hank asked quietly as Rhodey walked into the room. Tony got up to greet his friend.

"Uh, hey, buddy, what are you doing here?" asked Tony.

"Resolving this for you and the X-men, hopefully," Rhodey said before he took his seat beside Tony.

"Good evening, Mr. Rhodes, welcome. Now, I know that you had something that you wished to say about Mr. Stark and the X-men," Kelly said.

Rhodey nodded and he proceeded to speak "As they do not operate under any definable branch of government, the X-men present a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests. I _did _however go on to summarize the benefits of the X-men and what they can potentially do to help protect our country." But, before Rhodey could even begin to say what he wanted to say about the good that the X-men were trying to do, the senator cut him off.

"Enough, Colonel," Kelly told him.

"We're not joiners but we'll consider secretaries of defense if you ask us," said Tony, leaning into the microphone. Everyone in the room started to laugh again.

"I'd like to go on and show if I may the imagery that's connected to your report," Kelly said.

"Well, it is somewhat premature to reveal these images," pointed out Rhodey.

"Colonel, I understand but can you just narrate those for us? Because it's about some imagery that was captured by Colonel Moss and General Ross it was of the X-men intervening," Kelly said.

"Saving mutant children from rioters who had attacked a hospital which was considered a safe place for mutants to be," Rhodey said sternly as he turned on the TV to show the images of the X-men actually doing something good in the last four months. When the images came on, it showed that the X-men hadn't been causing any property damage whatsoever. In fact, they had been trying to fix the problem by being the solution. It was a moment that Tony could definitely consider to be one of his proudest.

However, that was the moment he noticed that something was off about the rioters that had set that hospital ablaze. Grabbing hold of his cell phone advanced with the highest technology that money could buy, Tony hacked into the video footage being shown to zoom in on the footage to get a closer look and pull up some facial recognition. What he saw was enough to set off alarms.

"Oh, is that what I think it is? Are those employees of Obadiah Stane, Bolivar Trask and Cameron Hodge in this footage attacking this hospital? And it's okay that a mutant-friendly hospital gets attacked because mutants aren't human, right? So they don't have human rights, right?"

"Can you turn that off?" asked the senator.

Moss instantly got up from his seat to try and turn the television off, but, he was failing too.

"Ahh, Senator, I see you're looking rather flustered over the fact that employees of two people that you just happened to severe ties with four months ago are making quite the scene." Jean and Scott's jaws dropped open. The fact that Tony had just exposed what really happened; it was quite the surprise. Tony flashed a smile towards his employees, who just grinned in return. Warren bumped fists with Scott under the table.

"Uh, I think that we're done and I think you made you point, Mr. Stark," Kelly said, growing flustered.

"Yes, I did. We're safe. The X-men and what they are doing, it's _working_. America is secure from extremists. You want my property? You cannot have it!" Tony said in an insisting tone of voice. "We have successfully privatized world peace!" He flashed a peace sign. "What more do you want?" he asked the cheering crowd. But, several members of the military looked mortified as they watched. But Senator Kelly was the most angered.

"Fuck you, Mr. Stark!" he said as Tony and the members of the X-men, as well as Alpha Flight, rose from their seats and walked out of the courtroom with Professor Xavier, Rhodey and Pepper.

* * *

**Streets of Cairo, Egypt **

The scorching suns of Cairo, Egypt beat down on the sands of the rocky, dirt roads surrounding the atmosphere. The market places were center of town, riches such as hand-made rugs, fresh fruits and luxurious jewelry sold everywhere on every street corner. However, there were also those who were desperate for survival, those who were willing to go to any length that they had to in order to live. For eighteen-year-old Ororo Munroe, she was not an exception to this.

The white-haired, blue-eyed African-American teenage girl had been an orphan since the age of twelve when her parents died after a plane that they were in had crashed in Cairo and she had landed underneath a collapsing building. Ever since then, the young woman was highly traumatized by the deaths of her parents; it led to her developing claustrophobia. However, she had also developed a sense of determination that burned inside of her to survive out in the city of Cairo.

When she'd turned fifteen, Ororo's mutant power of controlling elements such as wind, rain, sleet, hail, snow and lightning became a power that she used to steal food for her to eat, and she'd been living like that ever since. Hitchhiking and going on foot were ways of transportation for her. This was no ideal life for anyone to live, let alone an eighteen-year-old girl. However, she had to be a thief for the sake of survival.

As Ororo ate at some pomegranates she recently stole from a food vendor, hiding in an abandoned house with a traveling rug draped over her, she closed her eyes as she thought of what had happened to her a few years back. It had been when she was sixteen, when she was a thief for about a year working for a man by the name of Ebony Apophis. He had made her thieve for him in order to get enough cash to last her a few days at a time. She had met a man who had told her that she could be more than just a common street rat stealing to survive under someone's thumb.

* * *

**Cairo, Egypt – Two Years Ago**

Fifty-one-old Charles Xavier and thirty-two-old Tony Stark found that they had to travel often for business with X-Corporation and Stark Industries. However, Tony had the tendency to treat those business trips as a vacation. Tony being thirty-two, it was a surprise that he had such a high level of immaturity at his age. Even their employee, Warren Worthington III, did not go out as often as Tony did, given that he was in college working towards getting a business degree.

Tony and Charles were currently at a restaurant and bar, eating outside as they discussed business matters.

"Alright, so we both agree that with Warren, we should make him CFO of X-Corporation, and that Hank should be eventually placed in charge of Stark Pharmaceuticals," Charles was saying to his surrogate son. However, Tony was too absorbed in his phone as well as his drink he did not notice Charles speaking to him. "Tony, Tony!"

"Yeah, old man?" asked Tony, suddenly alert.

"Tony, this is a business trip; not a vacation. So I suggest that you start treating it as such," Charles said sternly. Tony's problems with alcohol and partying were weighing heavily on Professor Xavier. He knew that Tony was doing it to get back at his father for all of the emotional abuse. Nevertheless, Charles was tired of seeing his prodigy self-destruct.

"I'm sorry, Xavier," Tony said.

"Tony, no, you're not getting the chance to play the "poor me" card with me. Okay? I think part of why you're doing this is because you're unafraid of disappointing me because you feel you already have," Charles told him.

"Well, what would you expect from me, Xavier? My father, he was cold, he was calculated, he never told me that he loved me; he'd shipped me off to boarding school," Tony said, listing off the reasons as to why he hated his father.

"Tony, no okay? You see what Warren is going through with his own parents," Charles reminded him. "So therefor, you need to learn to let that resentment go. Okay? Do not follow by my step-brother's example, because look at where he is."

Tony swallowed, digesting Xavier's words. His words were blunt and harsh, but, they were effective and they did get through to the young man when he needed it.

Suddenly, that was the moment they felt a gust of wind surround them, and Tony felt his wallet slip out of his pocket.

"Oh _shit! _Someone pick-pocketed me!" Tony exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat.

That was when Xavier heard the panicked thoughts of someone close by.

'Oh God . . . oh God I was caught . . . please no!'

The thoughts belonged to a young woman, who couldn't be much older than the age of sixteen. "Tony, just give me a moment. I sense that whoever stole from you is a mutant."

"Thieving to survive?" Tony asked.

"Indeed." The two men paid for their meal and they got up from their seats, Charles intending to find the source of the telepathic thoughts that he had picked up. The two rounded the corner to find a girl, not much older than fifteen or sixteen, in a state of panic. Her hair was silvery white, and she looked highly undernourished, as if she had not had a decent meal in years. She looked scared to death over the fact that she was caught stealing.

'Mutant . . . mutant,' Charles said to her telepathically. 'There is no need to be afraid. I can help you . . .'

The young mutant girl turned around, her eyes a shocking shade of electric blue.

"Now, now, there's nothing to be afraid of. We're not cops," Charles said to her. "Just give the wallet back, no harm done, child."

The teenage girl handed Tony his wallet back, still looking panic-stricken.

"Tell me your name, my dear," Charles said to her. "We can help you."

"O-Ororo Munroe," the girl stammered out.

"Ororo . . . that's a nice name." Charles offered her a gentle, peaceful smile.

* * *

**Streets of Cairo – Present Day **

Ororo sat there for a while, this time eating a piece of melon she had taken. While she was glad to have gotten away from working with Ebony Apophis, she still had intense fear and constantly looked over her shoulder, something she had grown into having a habit of, and for good reason. Looking over her shoulder became almost second nature to her.

Suddenly, that was the moment she saw an image on a television not too far away, which was replaying the news. It was new footage of Tony Stark and his X-men. Ororo's eyes widened as she saw the footage; so Tony Stark and Charles Xavier were keeping true to their word about helping mutants like her. She smiled slightly. It sure brought her a little bit of comfort knowing this.

As the young woman continued sitting there, thinking of Charles Xavier and Tony Stark, she was unaware of a mysterious entity coming closer and closer to her, passing from body to body. This mysterious figure better known as a myth, the Shadow King was in hot pursuit of Ororo Munroe. Because little did the teen know, he had been her first boss when she had become a thief. Now that Ororo was officially eighteen and her mutation was growing on a much more powerful scale than just controlling wind, the Shadow King knew that Ororo had more potential, and he was going to take advantage of that, no doubt.

* * *

**Up next: Overflow**

**A/N: **

**I'm aware of the issues with email notifications going around right now with people not receiving notifications for new stories/new chapters/PMs. So therefore, I will be patient with you all for the reviews. I've already sent some emails issuing complaints about the lacking of notifications, so I suggest you all do the same if you aren't getting emails. Also, I've written a series of character reflections following events from Peace in Our Time Volume 1, so I'd recommend checking those out as well. Excelsior!- **

**DC-MarvelGirl 1997**


	3. Issue 23: Overflow Part 1

_The X-men continue to fight for peace between humans and mutants in a world that hates and fears them. However, after having exposed their identities publicly to the world after the loss of Candy Southern, our heroes now find that they are under a lot more scrutiny from the government than usual. With new developments on the horizon, the X-men have recently been called into a court hearing to Washington, where Senator Kelly had hoped to get them under a government contract to force them to work under his thumb._

_As this court hearing happens, the X-men's exploits have caught the attention of an orphaned Ororo Munroe, a young woman with ability to control elements and the weather whom Xavier and Tony have encountered after Ororo had pick-pocketed Tony's wallet while he and Xavier had been on a business trip two years ago. Ororo had been working for a mysterious man named Ebony Apophis, who had mentored her to become a thief. As Ororo continues to live on her own in the streets of Cairo, Egypt, Apophis is back, looking to target her._

* * *

**Issue 23: Overflow Part 1 **

**Cairo Egypt – Ororo Munroe's Hideout **

The next morning was a blur for Ororo Munroe. However, she knew that her daily routine was going to remain the same: go out, sneak around, search for food, run away, and find some shelter somewhere else in Egypt. It was a routine that she had lived by since she was twelve years old when she'd lost her family.

Ororo got up from her make-shift bed of her old traveling rug and newspapers and proceeded to sneak out of her hideout. Music was playing loudly throughout the markets early that morning. The sun blared down, the sandy roads scorching hot. But, Ororo was not complaining despite being barefoot and wearing old, raggedy clothes that hung off her undernourished body loosely. She didn't have the option to complain. She had to survive; she was going to do whatever it took, even if it meant stealing and sneaking around.

'Another day awaits me,' she thought solemnly. 'Not that I am by any means looking forward to this. I haven't had much to look forward to in years.'

Ororo got out of her makeshift home to take the streets, hoping that she wouldn't be seen. She used her old traveling rug to hide herself, completely covering her back and her head. Scoping the area out, she noticed a vendor selling fresh, juicy melons. Lord only knew how badly she wanted that right there in the moment. You'd do anything to get anything to eat when you were hungry.

Skillfully, stealthily using her powers her manipulate the wind; she snuck a small melon into her rucksack she used as a bad for the stolen goods she'd thieved over time. She only had a small amount of money she'd stolen, so she wanted to make sure to save as much as she possibly could. Sneaking away quickly, she found another vendor who was selling turnips . . . a lot easier to slip away with due to the fact that she could steal a few turnips at a time.

'That was almost too easy . . .' she thought. 'Thank God I wasn't caught this time around . . .'

Quickly turning a corner, she found another food vendor selling dates and figs, and she managed to slip away with those too. The hard part of finding breakfast was over. Now, she needed to find another hideout and fast before someone noticed her thieving. She closed her eyes, hoping that she wasn't seen doing what she was doing.

Ororo had become a master thief over the years, finding it to get easier and easier with time as she spent more time out in the streets. It was better than being a beggar and going dumpster diving for rotten food like she'd used to before. It was much more agreeable to find fresh food to eat. Water was a challenge; luckily there were hoses and water pumps and sinks in various abandoned homes that still worked decently enough. Her street smarts had outweighed her book smarts, but, it was her street smarts that had allowed her to survive as long as she did.

Managing to find yet another abandoned apartment complex, Ororo hid herself in the room, the only light shining through coming from the beaming sun. There were boxes surrounding the room. Setting her traveling rug down, she sat and proceeded to eat her breakfast which she'd stolen that morning. She knew that lunch was going to be a much bigger challenge, given that more people arrived in the afternoons to wander around the market places. She just didn't care.

She'd take being a street rat than living in an orphanage. Anything was better than living in a children's home where people just looked at you and pitied you. She didn't want anyone's pity or sympathy. All she wanted was to just live. But, she also knew that she was barely living as it was. She didn't thieve out of enjoyment; she did it out of pure necessity. But, she did know that she didn't want to go back to working for her previous boss Ebony Apophis, who used to tell her that she would amount to nothing. She didn't want to believe that. She in fact wanted to prove him wrong.

'I am so tired of this,' the young woman thought as she nibbled absent-mindedly at a piece of melon. 'This is no ideal way of living, but, it's better than being pitied by those who do not know me . . . I gave up on pity a long time ago. If only there were a way for . . . for me to be safe from all of _them –_ those who cannot understand anything that they see that is right in front of them. But at least I am away from Apophis . . .'

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Ororo found that she was feeling hungry again, and she knew that she needed to go and search for something to eat for her lunch. Getting up off the filthy, dusty floor and using her traveling rug to cover herself up again, she snuck out of the apartment to go and search for more food. However, that was the moment she felt someone coming into contact with her exposed skin, and she felt a surging power flowing into her and taking over her mind.

* * *

**Unknown **

"_**Ororo . . . Ororo. It's been a while, my dear child . . ." **_

These deep, ominous words haunted the mind of the bewildered Ororo Munroe, who was standing there in shock as her knees grew weak with fear.

"W-What's happening to me?! Who-Who's there?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear and apprehension as she stood there, not knowing what to do. She could feel her whole entire body breaking into a cold sweat.

Looking around, she saw that she was standing in a place that was dark and shadowy, ominous and eerie. However, it soon became a swirl of colors surrounding her and odd shapes were dancing before her eyes. She suddenly felt a dark, eerie presence near her, almost as though it were behind her. She looked behind her quickly, and she saw no one was there.

"_**Shhh . . . my dear child, don't be afraid. This will all be over, my dear Ororo . . ." **_The voice sounded as though it belonged to a man.

"YOU – I-I don't know you! Who are you? What do you want with me?" the young weather witch cried out.

"_**You really do not remember me, dear child? That's a real shame . . . because I remember you so well, Ororo. You should know who I am. After all, I was at one point like a father to you," **_the voice told her.

"I don't know what it is you speak of! L-Leave me alone!" Ororo begged out in pure terror.

The evil, spine-chilling voice just laughed. _**"My dear, if you do not remember me, I guess I should have to show you somehow . . ." **_That was the moment an image materialized before the young mutant's eyes, and she saw a shadowy, dark figure who seemed to tower above her by at least five feat. He had blinding white teeth and glowing red eyes that were shrouded with darkness._**"I am the Shadow King, and you should remember. Do you remember the name of Ebony Apophis? Well, he and I . . . we were once one . . ." **_

Ororo's voice grew faint. "I-I remember!" she cried out. "B-But I thought – I thought!" The last she remembered of Ebony Apophis, Charles Xavier had defeated him two years prior after she'd met him and Tony Stark on the streets of Cairo. 'I-I thought that you were gone!'

"_**Good, child good to see you still know who I am. But you might want to take a look around. Because I want to see you without a home; now watch as your precious Cairo burns to nothing but ash!" **_That was the moment images flashed before Ororo's eyes as she saw the city of Cairo in ablaze, flames warping the buildings surrounding her; her only home for the past six years of her life. It was a sight that caused the young woman to go white in panic.

"NOOOOO!" she cried out in a terrified state of panic as she watched the destruction of the one place that she had left in the world to call home. She knew what she had to do in that moment in time, and she proceeded to use her full range of power, summoning dark, ominous clouds to create a thunder storm over her head. Concentrating her abilities, the rain pelted down, flooding Cairo as she remained helpless underneath the mercy of the Shadow King.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Tony's Office**

Warren Worthington III and Hank McCoy found themselves not in the greatest of moods, and that was putting in generously. That was considering they'd gotten the news from Pepper that Tony was demoting them from their positions at X-Corporation. The fact that Warren was getting demoted after having just gotten his job at the company, he wasn't happy.

"Tony, I quit!" Warren announced.

"Wait, what?" asked Tony in surprise at the sight of an angry and frustrated Warren and Hank walking into the room.

"Tony what is this we're hearing from Pepper that we both just got demoted? You do know that these jobs that we've both got here at X-Corporation are the only thing that we have in life to give us an income!" Hank said a glare on his face and his jaw clenched. Being the personal doctor to all the X-men, he did not want to hear that he was being removed from the medical labs of X-Corporation.

"Guys, guys, guys, just chill the fuck out and hear me out, gentlemen. I understand your frustrations with this. But, contrary to what you may think, you two aren't getting _de_moted. You're getting _pro_moted!" Tony said with a grin on his face.

"Promoted? To what?" Warren asked, skeptical over what new job position he and Hank were going to be given. Hearing that he was being promoted so soon despite having started his career just a few months ago was almost too good to be true for the young man.

"The new CEO and executive director of Stark Pharmaceuticals," Tony announced.

"Wait, what?" asked Hank. Hearing that he had gotten promoted to Tony's pharmaceutical branch was something that deeply surprised him. Of course, working with medicine was nothing short of a dream for Hank. It had been a dream ever since he'd worked as a prodigy under Doctor Reed Richards, years ago before being recruited by Tony. But, hearing this news was more than he could have ever hoped for. It was asking him to be trusted with operating something that was part of Tony's brand. It was much more than being a doctor at X-Corporation. It was overseeing a company that could potentially help hundreds of mutants around the globe by creating medications that would be safe.

"Yes, yes you two boys can get over the shock of it all. I just figured that that's where the two of you should be. Don't worry, McCoy, you're still our personal researcher and doctor and you can still volunteer at the eye clinic, but, I just hired Cecilia Reyes from Claremont Regional to be your lab assistant. She'll be mentoring Jean in the medical labs here as far as helping her with her career. She will relieve you of that duty," Tony told them.

"Really?" asked Warren. "So, you're asking _me_ to be in charge of your pharmaceutical company?"

Warren was quite taken aback. This was the last thing he'd ever expected to hear. Hearing Tony say that he wanted Warren and Hank to oversee Stark Pharmaceuticals shocked the winged mutant. To say Warren wasn't the best at science would be an understatement. He'd almost failed college biology class and physics class, and had needed to go to tutoring for years. Why Tony had selected him, Warren didn't know. But in many ways, he was glad he had Hank by his side; Hank's scientific expertise could help where Warren was lacking in.

"Yes, Warren; I feel that your expertise in finances could be a huge asset to the company."

"But science was never my subject in school, Mr. Stark, you know that."

"True, but you make up for it with your smarts in other areas, namely finances. You're excellent at math. It's one of the many reasons why I had wanted you and Candy to be my CFOs, because you both were hard-nosed and business-minded. You both were perfect for the job, despite how young you kids were. But, this, if you really think about it, is a gift, because this will allow you to directly help mutants by having a say in everything. You're very business-savvy; that's why I need you over there, because I need to put my focus where it matters most: Stark Industries. You'll have a say in all executive decisions made, and Hank, you'll be in charge of the projects that will be started. Who knows what the two of you can do for mutants everywhere by bringing the world advancements in medicine?" Tony sounded confident in the two of them as he grabbed a bottle of Champagne and three glasses.

"I don't know what to say, Tony." Hank smiled a toothy smile.

"I don't know what to say, either," Warren said. He was shocked that Tony had that much faith in him to run a company and become a CEO.

"The both of you boys can thank me later," Tony said to them with a smile. "Cheers." Just as they were about to celebrate Hank and Warren both getting promoted to their new positions, they could hear Charles on the intercom link.

"_Warren, Hank, Jean, Scott, Bobby; Forge; everyone meet in Cerebro; something's come up," _the professor said.

"Well, duty calls," Warren said, smiling sheepishly as he and Hank made their way down to the Cerebro room in the basement. "Well, _that_ was a surprise. I come up here before lunch pissed that I might be losing my job. Turns out, I'm getting a promotion as the CEO of a pharmaceutical company."

"Well, it most definitely gives me a comfort that Cecilia Reyes is hired. For the longest time she's been working out of that hospital; this is a step up for her in a very big way. I know for a fact that this is the kind of break that she has been waiting for," Hank explained as they made their way down to the basement. When they arrived, they saw Forge, Jean, Scott and Bobby down there already, surrounding the computer and in full uniform as well. Whatever the professor needed them all there for, it was clearly something very serious.

"You wanted to see us, Professor?" Warren asked.

"Yes, Warren, I called you all because there are some intense mutant readings in Cairo, and it's exactly what I had feared it would have been." Xavier pulled up an image of a dark-skinned, white-haired, blue-eyed young woman who looked to be close in age to Scott and Jean. "Ororo Munroe . . . I met her two years back when Tony and I were doing business. She'd pick-pocketed Tony using her mutant abilities due to the fact that she was working under a thief named Ebony Apophis. She's your age, Scott, Jean; she'd just turned eighteen."

"What are her abilities?" asked Bobby.

"Weather manipulation; she was orphaned at twelve when a plane accident killed her mother and father; she'd been trapped underneath a collapsed house as a result," Xavier explained, taking the Cerebro helmet off. He knew Scott and Jean would be able to sympathize as far as that was concerned.

"So, what's going on with her in Cairo?" asked Scott.

"It appears that she's under mind control and is being made to believe that Cairo is set ablaze."

"But, who could convince her of that?" asked Jean.

"The Shadow King," Xavier said grimly.

* * *

**Up next: Overflow Part 2**

**A/N: **

**Be sure to REVIEW! **

**Also, I've read the first issue of Johnathan Hickman's House of X X-men comics, and I'm officially hooked. It's hands down one of the best comic books I think I've seen as far as the story goes. Also, I'm thinking about posting weekly again, just because I want to get volume 2 off the ground and build up my following with it, so that's why I am posting this week. Let me know in the reviews what you think of this idea rather than having an update twice a month. Next weekend, though, I will be posting a day earlier because next Sunday I'll be going away on vacation. Keep bringing the reviews, everyone! Excelsior! - **

**DC-MarvelGirl 1997**


	4. Issue 24: Overflow Part 2

_In a world that hates and fears them, the X-men, under the mentorship of Tony Stark and Charles Xavier, continue to fight in order to privatize peace between humans and mutants. This task proves to have some difficulty, especially as presidential-hopeful Senator Edward Kelly makes the attempt to get the X-men under control of the government as he pushes for a mutant registration act._

_As the X-men were in court in Washington, D.C, their hearing was viewed by Ororo Munroe, a young woman whom Xavier and Tony had once helped two years ago after she'd thieved from Tony under the manipulation of her former boss, Ebony Apophis, who is known as the Shadow King, a telepathic being who goes from body to body stealing people's lifeforce and minds._

_Unfortunately, for Ororo, Apophis has found her while she was stealing food in the streets of Cairo out of desperation to survive. The Shadow King has taken over Ororo's mind and body, and is telepathically manipulating her to flood the streets of the city she calls home._

* * *

**Issue 24: Overflow Part 2**

**Skies over Western Sahara – The Blackbird**

The Blackbird soared at top speeds over the continent of Africa, Beast piloting the jet with Xavier in the cockpit with the portable Cerebro helmet residing on his head as they flew towards Egypt. It was a race against time to get to Ororo Munroe, who was causing destruction to the one place in the world that she called home. Xavier, wearing Cerebro, could feel and sense her distress and fear.

"She's causing destruction beyond anything that I had ever thought she'd be capable of," Xavier whispered.

"How could this Ororo girl do something like that?" asked Marvel Girl. "Sure, I've seen what her powers are on Cerebro, but how is she so capable?"

"Years ago when Tony and I had met her, I'd just thought she was an alpha class mutant. But, I think she's closer to something a lot more powerful than I what I'd first thought her capable of," Xavier said softly. "She's close to a class-five mutant . . . she's not an omega class, but, she's the closest thing to just that. It explains why "

"But, who exactly is the Shadow King? What does he want with her?" asked Cyclops from where he sat behind Beast.

"The Shadow King is another telepath, but, he transfers himself from body to body. He took the form of Ororo's first boss who had used her as a thief. Ororo, she had no choice. She had to thieve for survival because she didn't have anything left. It shocks me that she had managed to survive as long as she did. I can only assume that the Shadow King is angered from our last encounter and that he wants to see her destroy the one place in the world that she has left to call home," Xavier explained. "I would know, because, I was the one who had helped her defeat the Shadow King the first time."

* * *

**Ebony Apophis' Hideout – Two Years Ago **

Sixteen-year-old Ororo Munroe rushed into the hideout of her crime boss, Ebony Apophis, determined to get in there on time. She knew that if she didn't make it back in time with her stash of what she'd stolen that day, she'd be in trouble.

She only had a small amount of stolen goods in her rucksack with her; she knew that it wasn't nearly enough, but, any little bit would have to do.

She'd managed to pick-pocket three wallets which had four-hundred dollars in them total, a Gucci watch, a Michael Kors watch, and some pieces of gold. Apophis was so filled with greed that he only wanted the best of the best. Ororo being the most promising out of all the thieving orphaned children he'd "taken in"; she was the one that he was toughest on. However, it seemed as though he constantly expected more even though Ororo already felt as though she was doing so well.

Ororo rounded the corner to find Apophis standing there at his desk. He was a huge, balding man with a curled, dark mustache, and he wore dark sunglasses that shrouded his eyes so that nobody could see. Ororo quickly dumped her stolen goods out onto the table.

"Not nearly enough, Ororo!" shouted Apophis, banging his fists on the table. "What were you doing this whole time? I told you, that you have twenty-four hours to get me much more than this!"

"I-I'm so sorry! That's-That's all I could get!" the young weather witch cried out in fear, backing away towards the door. "I swear, I will have more tomorrow!"

"No, you won't!" Apophis told her. "You are always the disappointment, Ororo . . . always."

"I swear, I won't fail you tomorrow . . . but, I just . . . I was just meeting a friend! He-He told me that I was more than just a thief!"

"A _friend?" _scoffed Apophis around a round of laughter. "A little runt like you has no friends! Who could have you _possibly_ met that could care for a thieving weakling like you? Who is his name? Tell me!"

"I will not!" Ororo said strongly, feeling loyalty to the two men she'd just met a day ago: Professor Charles Xavier and Tony Stark. Suddenly, that was the moment she felt her boss entering her mind and pulling the information out of her against her will.

"Their names are Tony Stark and Xavier. You will pay for this you ungrateful beggar!" Just as Apophis started to storm towards the helpless Ororo, she felt a hand resting on her shoulder, and she turned to see Charles Xavier there with Tony at his side. That was the moment Xavier started to speak to Apophis telepathically.

'Your power over his innocent child ceases now, Ebony.'

"Ahh, the friend is a telepath," said Apophis in fascination.

"Well, I'm not a telepath. I'm just a genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist," Tony said with a shrug and a very cocky tone of voice.

Apophis just ignored Tony as he proceeded to enter into a mind battle with Xavier. From what Xavier could gather from reading this man's mind that he was taken over by an entity known as the Shadow King, and the only way that the Shadow King could survive was that it needed a host. It was clear to Xavier what he had to do. Engaging in the mind battle, he found himself battling the Shadow King, determined to get him to at least leave Ororo alone. It was quite challenging, considering that the Shadow King was an entity who had been living for probably over billions of years, but, it had to be done. Xavier allowed his psyche to attack the mind of the Shadow King, knowing if he kept him away long enough; the Shadow King would be defeated. This carried on for a total of ten minutes, until finally, it all ceased.

* * *

**Skies over Cairo – Present Day **

"So, that's how you stopped him the first time?" asked Iceman.

"Indeed, Bobby. Tony could tell you the same thing. He was there with me that day when we'd rescued Ororo the first time. I guess you could say that she was one of the first mutants that I've helped in those early days before X-Corporation became a huge, corporate business. But, I did it once before, I can do it again," Xavier said.

"But, if he's in the body and mind of someone who is close to being an omega-level mutant as is, how are you going to manage that?" asked Angel.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Warren," said Forge.

"Well, we better hurry up with a plan, because we're in Cairo now, Forge. And let me tell you, it's not looking good out there," Marvel Girl said as she looked out the window to see high, intense winds, heavy rain, and bolts of lightning coming down from the sky. Marvel Girl could also see that hail and sleet were pelting down, too from the dark, grey clouds. The fact that Ororo was doing this, it surprised her heavily. Peering out the windows of the jet, she, Iceman, Cyclops, Beast, Forge and Angel were shocked to see that the city of Cairo was already flooding up to three feet of water.

'Holy shit,' Cyclops thought. He turned to Iceman. "Iceman now would be a really good time for you to test how far you can go with your powers!"

Iceman nodded, going into his full organic ice form and signaling for Beast to lower the ramp to the jet down. He proceeded to make a bridge of ice to slide down. Marvel Girl jumped out of the jet with Angel as Cyclops slid down the ice path that Iceman had made.

Marvel Girl had to concentrate her powers especially in the eye of the thunder storm, which was equivalent to a hurricane. The fact that a single mutant alone was doing this amazed her. Narrowing her eyes, Marvel Girl proceeded to search along with Angel since they both had a bird's eye view of the city.

Finally, after five minutes of searching, they could see the stately, African-American young woman actually _flying _in the air. She was clearly using the high winds she was controlling to levitate her body, manipulating the air pressure. Her electric-blue eyes were glowing in a bright white color as she continued to force the rain and winds to come down harder. She was destroying the whole city and not even realizing it. She was the definition of a storm.

"Alright, Professor, Beast, what do we do?" asked Iceman.

'You must attempt to get through to her somehow, to get her to see what it is that she is doing. After that, I can take it from there,' the professor said.

"Okay, X-men, you've got your objective," Cyclops said, taking charge. "Angel . . ."

"On it, fearless leader," Angel said, half-heartedly joking as he proceeded to fly towards Ororo, knowing what it was that he had to do, even though he hated the idea of fighting a woman.

Just as he was about to get closer to Ororo, the winds picked up at higher speeds and they could see F-4 tornadoes flying towards them. Angel was then caught in one of the tornadoes, causing him to go crashing towards the ground below. Marvel Girl had him, though, concentrating her telekinesis so that she could catch him before he fell below into the flooded streets. She set him aside on a fallen down tree. Angel shook his head.

"Damn, Professor, when you said she was close to omega level you weren't kidding!"

"You okay, Warren?" Cyclops called out to him from where he stood beside Iceman who looked as though he was about to pass out. He hadn't been around that much water before, so the fact that his powers were being pushed so hard beyond typical limits was concerning.

"Yeah, I'm alright, Scottie!" Angel called out.

"Okay, Scott, do you have a suggestion?" asked Marvel Girl.

Cyclops took some moments to think. "Alright, Jean, have you had a chance to test your telepathy?"

"Scott, I know what you're thinking, I can sense what you're thinking . . . but, are you sure about this?"

"Positive, Red."

"But, I don't know if I can . . . I've never used my powers to break through to a mutant this powerful before!" Marvel Girl sounded uncertain.

"Jeannie, we believe you can do this!" Iceman sounded confident in her.

'I believe you can do this too, Jean. You can do anything you set your mind to,' said the professor.

Marvel Girl let out a sigh, knowing that the weight of all of this was going to be on her. "Okay, I can try." She proceeded to use her telepathy to mind-walk inside Ororo's mind.

'Ororo . . . Ororo. I do not know if you can hear me. But my name is Jean Grey, I'm with the X-men. You've got to stop . . .' Marvel Girl tried to tell her.

'W-What?' Ororo's psychic voice sounded as though it were filled with panic and fear.

'Listen to me. Try and take some control over your mind. You-you do not know what you're doing! Cairo isn't burning. _You're _the one destroying it right now!'

'What do you mean?'

'Let me show you. Let's clear some of this up . . .' Marvel Girl proceeded to use her telepathy to show the terrified weather witch exactly what it was that she was doing to her homeland. However, Marvel Girl could also sense the voice of the Shadow King as well as she felt Professor Xavier joining in with her.

_**"****All that she is telling you is a lie, Ororo,"**_ the Shadow King was saying to the weather-controlling mutant.

'No it is not! Leave her alone, Shadow King. You have used her for the last time!' Xavier was saying.

'Xavier?' Ororo was asking.

'Yes, my dear. I am here. Let me help you . . .' Xavier was saying. 'All of this is just in your mind, Ororo . . . '

'I-I . . .' soon enough, the high winds around them all ceased as Xavier and Marvel Girl worked together at the same time, finding the presence of the Shadow King inside Ororo's mind, and together, the two telepaths attacked the mysterious, ominous cosmic entity psychically.

'Try to keep this going, Jean. The Shadow King needs a host to survive. Without a host, he will be utterly gone,' Xavier said.

'I can try, Professor!' Marvel Girl's psychic voice sounded as though she were grunting as she concentrated her telepathy. She could feel her nose starting to bleed as a pounding headache came over her. More than anything, she wanted to black out. But she knew that that wasn't an option at this point.

Groaning through the pressure in her head, Marvel Girl and Xavier unleashed a powerful, telepathic burst, and before they knew it, the Shadow King was out of Ororo's body. However, both Ororo and Marvel Girl were weakened as a result.

Marvel Girl could feel that she was about to faint when she suddenly felt Iceman swoop in and grabbing her around the waist to give her someone to lean onto. Angel caught hold of Ororo, whose encounter with the Shadow King had taken a lot out of her. The high winds and the rain and thunder and lightning came to a halt, and that was the moment they could all see the beaming, shining sun again.

However, the flooded city of Cairo was another problem. All around them, they could see that the streets were flooded with five feet of water, homes and other types of debris floating along. Getting into the jet which was still high in the air, Marvel Girl became weaker as she felt as though she were about to collapse. Cyclops caught her against his chest, holding her to him.

"You okay, Jean?" he asked her softly.

"She's alright. She just over-exerted herself," Iceman said with a half-hearted grin. Angel came in carrying Ororo against him as well.

"She's exhausted, but someone's going to have to deal with that mess outside," he said.

"I will inform my contacts at Alpha Flight. They will for sure know how to clean all this up," Xavier said.

"Well, what are we going to do about Ororo? I mean, she _was _just used to flood almost the whole city," pointed out Angel.

"I will do what it takes to help her. It will take her some time to recover from an ordeal such as this. Until then, let's just go home. Jean, you rest, you're deserving of that," Xavier said.

Marvel Girl nodded against Cyclops, exhausted as he led her to her seat, where she promptly passed out, and the last thing she felt was him pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

* * *

**Up next: New Developments**

**A/N:**

**Be sure to REVIEW. Like I've said in the Authors Note on last weekend's issue that I am posting this issue a day early due to me going on vacation tomorrow morning. **

**Also, be sure to read the reflections from Volume 1.**

**DC-MarvelGirl 1997**


	5. Issue 25: New Developments

_In a world that hates and fears them, the X-men are a team brought together by Tony Stark and Charles Xavier to fight for peace and equality between humans and mutants. After having recently fought back at a court hearing in Washington, DC to prevent them from being forced to work under the government, the X-men have faced one of their toughest enemies yet in the recruitment of their newest member, Ororo Munroe._

_The X-men have recently battled the Shadow King – a mysterious telepathic who goes from body to body – in the flooding streets of Cairo, Egypt, where he was attempting to get Ororo to destroy the city by using her powers of weather manipulation. In addition to recruiting Ororo, Hank "Beast" McCoy and Warren "Angel" Worthington III have learned that they have gotten a promotion to operate Stark Pharmaceuticals to create mutant-friendly medications and sell them on the market. Another addition brought in is Doctor Cecilia Reyes, who is recruited to act as a mentor for Jean Grey. _

* * *

**Issue 25: New Developments**

**Stark Pharmaceuticals – Warren's Office **

The week after the recruitment of Ororo Munroe – Storm – was a week Hank McCoy and Warren Worthington III knew would be a big transition. After having gotten promoted to be CEO and executive director of Stark Pharmaceuticals, the two mutants knew that their work at Tony Stark's pharmaceutical company was vital.

The way Tony was describing it to the two of them, he explained that he'd wanted to use Stark Pharmaceuticals to manufacture and distribute medications that would be safe for mutants to use. Regular medications like Levora, Prozac, diphenhydramine, Zoloft and Bupropion worked well for regular human beings. But with mutants, the symptoms that came along with them had grave side-effects.

Mutants who used medications like Prozac were faced with symptoms of stomach pains, intense headaches, and undo strain on the heart and liver. It was a huge part of why Professor Xavier had refused to put Scott and Jean on psychoactive drugs like that, because he knew it would make things worse for the two. The last thing anyone in the tower wanted was to see Scott and Jean get sick from taking medications that didn't respond well to their body chemistry. Plus, the two were making such great progress with their mental recovery, no one saw the point in putting them on medications.

Now, Tony was entrusting Warren and Hank to be the ones in charge of making sure that those medications were specially created specifically for mutants. Warren, under the knowledge that mutants had different genetics than humans and unique body chemistries, understood how important this was. In fact, he was more than happy to actually be a CEO of a company and have something to fall back on. But, that didn't mean he was not still grieving over Candy's death.

Candy's death still weighed heavily on his heart, but, he knew that Candy would want him to do this. She'd want him to take over a company and use it for the greater good. Now, Warren and Hank had the opportunity to do just that.

After having met with the board of directors, Warren and Hank got to work on various projects, making sure that basic allergy medications were modified first. With it being allergy season and pollen filling up the air, Warren could already feel his own nose starting to stuff and his own eyes starting to water. That was why he was planning on keeping his office windows shut during the spring and summer. The less pollen he breathed in, the better for him.

Warren sat there at his desk, currently on a phone call with his father and mother. While he still held onto a lot of bitterness towards his dad, he also knew that Scott and Jean no longer had a mother or a father, and that they were pushing for Warren to somehow make up with his parents. The least he could do was try and make things better between he and his parents, if not for anyone else, but for Scott and Jean.

"_So, CEO of Tony Stark's Pharmaceutical business . . . color me impressed," _Warren's mother, Katherine Worthington, said_. _

"Thanks, Mom." Warren smiled slightly as he said that. To finally get to hear from his mother that he did well at something meant a lot. "I mean, I am only in my first week here and already, I'm hard at work. Though it's not easy; I have to let go of someone by the end of the month.

"And I hate the idea of people in this company being out of work, but, I'm feeling like Michael Scott here. It's the question of how do you fire somebody and still remain friends with them. No, no, scratch that. That was stupid. I'm not _that_ absurd and eccentric. Leave that to Tony. After all he's the one that keeps saying everyone at X-Corporation, we're all friends."

"_Well, nobody said taking over a company would be easy Warren. So what is your first objective?" _his father asked.

"My main goal is to get some mutant-friendly allergy medicine distributed immediately. I'm not leaving the windows open how the hell can anyone breathe out there?" Warren asked. "After that, well, Hank's thinking about starting to distribute those drugs to the mutant-friendly clinics and hospitals. Those places need those drugs more than anything. What can they give to mutants who have severe injuries that need to be taken care of? An Advil and that's it? Then who ends up suffering as a result? More than anything, Dr. Cecelia Reyes is more than happy to be out of Claremont Regional Hospital and working in X-Corporation as Hank's lab assistant."

"_Well, you seem to have a clear understanding of what it is that you are looking to accomplish. Who knows? Maybe Worthington Pharmaceuticals could merge with X-Corporation," _Katherine said to her son a hint of pride in her tone.

"One day at a time, Mom," Warren said. "But, my main concern is the fact that most mutants do not have health insurance because they are not able to get it. And with Senator Kelly winning people over in the polls, let's say that that is concerning for me."

"_We can understand that," _said his father.

"It's going to take me a while before I fully forgive you for working with him to try and get a mutant cure distributed. But, what I am focused on right now is making sure that these new drugs are handled responsibly so we don't have to risk them getting into the hands of the corrupt like Cameron Hodge or Obadiah Stane again. After what happened on Genosha four months ago, let's just say I'm still swallowing that pill down," Warren said.

"I am determined to make sure that that doesn't happen here. And I can say that we've got quite the list of employees who work here that I'm sure Worthington Pharmaceuticals would be envious of. Between Helen Cho and her son Amadeus, and Dr. Bruce Banner, we've got employees here that could be considered geniuses. Now, duty calls. I need to check on how my scientists are doing with the new allergy medications. I will talk later," he continued to say.

"_Bye, son," _said Katherine as she hung up.

Warren got up from his desk and preceded to head down to the research labs. Stark Pharmaceuticals being owned by Tony Stark, the company had all of the latest and greatest technology and equipment money could buy. It was enough that would make Worthington Pharmaceuticals envious. In fact, their chief researcher just happened to be Dr. Bruce Banner, who had just been hired a month previously. Walking into Banner's lab, Warren knocked on the door.

"Dr. Banner, are we seeing progress being made with the allergy medication?" asked Warren.

"Yes, we are in fact seeing some results that we're very pleased about, but, we won't know until it is tested. It's not like you can animal-test this stuff," said Banner.

"Of course, but, you do know that if we bring in mutants to test this medication out on, that it will be with their consent. We do not want to repeat the Genosha adventure by forcing mutants to do it against their will," Warren said, wanting to make it very clear.

"Absolutely, Mr. Worthington; you know that none of these employees will go against you or your policies," said Banner.

"Good, then we understand that Dr. McCoy and I will get the respect from our employees that we deserve to have." Warren nodded. "That's what I like to see and hear. We want to make sure that this stuff is safe before putting it on the market. But, we're going to have to give it to all the mutant-friendly hospitals and clinics at least in New York, because you know that those places are free and they'll make sure that even mutants who are not covered get that medication.

"God forbid there's a sick mutant child who needs care; regular hospitals won't provide any of that. But, we also need to worry about the fact that employees from Stane and Hodge are starting to rebel by going outside these hospitals and clinics to cause a riot. We all know that those were not organized by anyone in the government. But, who's to say that even protests that _are _organized cannot go corrupt? Don't say that's not a possibility, because it is."

"I'm very aware of that, Mr. Worthington," Bruce said, nodding.

Warren nodded. "Okay, well, McCoy and I have a meeting with the board of directors. They want to see what progress is being made over here, and I think at the rate we're going throughout this week that they will be pleased. Good work as always, Dr. Banner."

As he walked out of Banner's lab to make his way down to the board room, Warren internally smiled. He was just glad to see that already in his first week, progress was being made at Stark Pharmaceuticals and that they were one step closer to making things better for mutants everywhere.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Medical Laboratory **

Many could consider becoming a doctor or a nurse to be part of achieving the "American dream." But, for mutants like Dr. Cecilia Reyes, she found that earning that title proved to be harder than she at first thought.

Being a first-generation Puerto Rican-American woman from the Bronx, Cecilia knew that she'd have to work harder to prove herself to her peers. But, she never thought that she'd have to add the word 'mutant' to the list of reasons as to why she needed to prove she was worthy of a job in the medical field.

When she had gone to medical school, everyone had looked at her as though they hadn't taken her seriously whatsoever. Needing to hide her mutation of projecting force fields made it harder. Finally, when she'd gotten her first job, it had been at Claremont Regional Hospital, because that was one of the few hospitals in New York that were mutant-friendly and hired mutants willingly. It was there where she had met Charles Xavier when he'd started going to her for cancer treatments. Ever since then, Charles and Tony had helped her with her career. Tony had even given generous donations to the hospital where she had worked.

Now, Cecilia felt even more blessed, since Tony Stark had hired her to work as Hank McCoy's lab assistant while Hank worked at Stark Pharmaceuticals. Doing medical research was all Cecilia had ever wanted to do for most of her career. She knew that any little thing she could do for Hank would be worth it. That was considering that he and Warren were going to be at work from the minute the sun rose, and that they were not going to be coming home until the sun went down. If she could add anymore to her list of things to feel grateful for, she could also add mentoring Jean Grey to that list.

The fact that Jean Grey aspired to be a doctor made both Cecilia and Hank more than happy to train her in the medical field. Jean and Scott having gotten their GED, that meant they could apply to go to college next fall. Jean was looking at Colombia, specifically at their pre-med programs. Jean knew that that meant she'd be in school for a total of six or seven years, but, she was more than ready.

"So, Jean, are you sure you're ready to go to school for something like this? I mean, you'll be in school for six to seven years," pointed out Cecilia as she organized the medical cabinets.

"I'm fully prepared. I mean, my mother was. She, from what I remember, had been in medical school, married to my dad at age twenty-three, and by the time she was twenty-four, she was pregnant with my oldest brother. I don't know how that woman put herself through med school raising my oldest brother, and my oldest sister," Jean said.

"I give them a lot of credit, though. Because, between me, and my identical twin sister, we were pieces of work for the two of them to deal with; it was a family of eight. No, it wasn't a family. It was a tribe. I just want this for me. This is what I want in life. For these past years of my life up until age seventeen, I'd spent those days curled in a ball by myself bawling my eyes out because I didn't have any family around me. I need something to fall back on, because _I _want to feel successful," she continued to say.

"Yeah I know exactly where it is that you're coming from, Jean, I really do," said Dr. Reyes. "You want to feel as though you have something for you because you want to prove to people that just because you're a mutant, and a female, that doesn't mean you are less capable than others. You don't want to have lean back on Professor Xavier to give you everything. I was one of the only Puerto Rican females in my class in medical school; it was important for me to prove that I was competent of doing my job as a med student."

"Exactly," Jean said. "At least now, with the Brotherhood and Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane arrested, we won't have to worry about too much. What had happened at that hospital those months ago, to me is pettiness. That's like high school drama, as far as I'm concerned, even though I've never _been _to high school. But, Bobby has, and from what he says, it's like that every day," Jean said.

Jean proceeded to go and take stock of what they had in the cabinets. Most would think because Jean had spent so many years locked away in a mental hospital that she'd be squeamish about things like medicine. That was far from the case. In fact, Jean only found herself all the more fascinated by it and it made her want to be like her mother even more.

"You're exactly right Jean. I mean these are grown men and women doing this. As far as I know, that's bullshit compared to what you and Scott had to go through, what Ororo had to go through. You kids are probably brighter than most adults, and you're probably more mature than most adults," Dr. Reyes noted.

"I feel almost as though it's too calm, and I'm waiting for the next disaster to come," Jean said with a chuckle. "I mean, we had to deal with Storm in Egypt. But, I'm waiting for some other horrendous thing to happen that's going to force us to go into full uniform again."

"Well, knowing the life you live now, you won't have to wait long."

"But I'm actually enjoying the peace now. I don't want it to ever stop." Jean grinned.

"Don't we all?" Cecilia asked. "But unfortunately, life can be like Murphy's Law. Anything can go wrong so you might as well stay prepared for that."

"Anyway, I've gotta get ready for a Danger Room session with Logan and Ms. Danvers tonight before dinner. After that we've got the night off. I'm just hoping that Warren and Hank aren't going to be late or else Logan will kick their asses in," Jean said.

"Well good luck; we'll presume this tomorrow," Dr. Reyes replied as Jean exited the medical quarters.

* * *

**Up next: Night Off**


	6. Issue 26: Night Off

_In a world that hates and fears mutants, the X-Corporation employees known to the world now as the X-men have overcome adversity over the course of four months. After the loss of Candy Southern, the X-men found that they needed to move on. But Senator Kelly being determined to force them to register under government contract proves to hinder them. _

_After having gained two more recruits to the X-men in Ororo Munroe and Doctor Cecilia Reyes, the X-men are finding kinships in the two newest members. Cecilia Reyes being hired as Hank McCoy's lab assistant, her responsibility is to not only help Hank with research, but to mentor Jean Grey, who is aspiring to become a doctor and follow in her late mother's footsteps. _

_Now, with an opportunity to have a quiet night to themselves, the X-men prepare to take a night off after their Danger Room session, taking them back to a place of being able to be teenagers, and not just a team of superheroes._

* * *

**Issue 26: Night Off**

**X-Corporation Tower – The Danger Room **

Per usual, the X-men found they were in their daily Danger Room session with Logan and Carol. With Forge in the control room working the simulation, he'd put the session on a medium level, something that wasn't the least bit difficult for them. The objective was fighting the Brotherhood of Mutants. However, to say that Beast and Forge were not the best at writing dialogue for their enemies was an understatement.

"I WILL EAT YOU ALL FOR LUNCH!" shouted the hologram of the Blob.

"Furball, I swear to Christ you really need to do a better job at coming up with dialogue!" Logan yelled, dodging the laser trip beams and paintball guns.

Hank jumped on top of a platform as he said, "Sorry Forge and I aren't that ingenious!"

"Forge, can't you make this session a little tougher?" asked Bobby.

"You don't want me to go easy on you guys? It is one of Storm's first sessions," Forge pointed out from where he sat in the control room.

"Our enemies won't be gentle! Crank it up!" Scott retorted. "Can you bring it up to a slightly more difficult level?"

"Not tonight, Slim," Carol said as she observed them from above, her hands on her hips. "Besides, like Forge said, this is one of Ororo's first sessions."

"Yeah, you're right," said Scott, taking his shot at a holographic image of Scarlet Witch.

Jean put up telekinetic shielding around her to defend herself from several paintballs that were being fired at her. Ororo proceeded to use her powers fire a bolt of lightning at a holograph of Toad.

"Besides, why is our objective to fight the Brotherhood?" asked Warren as he flew above, dodging the lasers. "They're in jail, last time I checked."

"Haven't you heard of Murphy's Law, Birdbrain?" asked Logan, making another one of his sarcastic comments again. "Anything can go wrong!"

"Enough with the bird jokes," Warren groaned as he dodged more lasers that were firing at him. He used his ability of flying to his advantage to shield himself with his wings. Bobby proceeded to fire at the canons and tentacles, freezing them using his powers.

"By the way, Warren, has anyone told you how weird you look when you're walking up the stairs?" asked Bobby as he slid down on a path of ice.

"Shut up, Iceman!" Warren grunted.

"I'm just saying. It's like seeing a pigeon crossing the street!"

Warren rolled his eyes as he flew down to take out Avalanche. Scott concentrated his powers on the Blob with Storm's assistance while Jean worked to take down Kid Omega with a telepathic burst. Before they knew it, the entire Brotherhood was down for the count, and the session for them was over.

"Alright, Forge, stop the simulation. Good work everyone," Logan said, pulling his Wolverine cowl off his face. "Though, I've gotta say, Popsicle. You better start putting in more hours in the gym, bub. You've been slacking off, kid."

Bobby let out a sigh, shaking his head as he allowed his organic ice form to melt away from his body.

"Scooter, way to think on your feet today; I commend ya fer knowing what the hell yer doin'. Jeannie, I can only say the same to you," Logan said, turning his attention to Scott and Jean.

"Thank you, Logan," Scott said around a nod. The fact that Logan had told him that he knew what he was doing, that was the biggest compliment you could receive from him. However, Scott and Jean secretly knew Logan had a very soft and sensitive side to him and that he had a bigger heart than most thought. He just didn't show it due to the fact that he felt the need to keep the very tough exterior.

"Hey, c'mon Logan why are you playing favorites?" asked Warren as he landed down next to Ororo.

"I'm not, Wings," Logan retorted, a slight growl in his tone as he crossed his arms. Though Jean could pick up on his thoughts of, 'those two . . . they really are my favorites . . . I love those kids.' "Oh, and Ororo, for yer first time in here, yer doing well, too, but, I expect ya to put in more hours training in the gym," he added to their newest recruit.

"Thank you, Logan," Ororo said, smiling in his direction.

"Alright, we're all done. We'll presume this tomorrow. You guys have the rest of the night off, enjoy the gift of youth while Logan and I head back home," Carol told them as she watched her and Logan's students walk out of the Danger Room to head upstairs so they could go out and enjoy the rest of their evening.

It was a rarity that any of them got a night off to themselves. Though they all knew Hank would be spending the rest of his night in his lab, most likely conducting experiments of some sort. Ororo and Jean were going to go out with Scott, while Bobby was most likely going to meet up with Mary-Jane, Peter, Angelica and Johnny.

Warren was most likely going to end up going out to a prestigious club for the night. While Warren had the image of a billionaire playboy, that was an image that he didn't like the idea of living up to, unlike Tony.

Warren liked to be tied down to a long-term relationship; he'd almost married Candy before she was murdered. But, he did know that all of the beautiful women in the world couldn't compare to Candy; she'd been his security for so many years, he knew that he had to learn to let go. But, it was harder than he ever thought that it could be. He never thought that he could ever be that deeply in love with somebody before he'd started dating Candy.

Jean made her way up to her bedroom, getting herself ready for her night out with Ororo and Scott, considering that they were going out to see the latest Brie Larsen movie that had come out. Fluffing her hair out after having put on some makeup, she exited her room to meet with Scott and Ororo.

In a lot of ways, both girls were glad, because after Scott had gotten his driver's license, Tony had given him one of his cars: a red Maserati convertible, fully loaded with leather seats. To say Scott had gotten hooked up would be an understatement. One thing Tony and Scott could connect on was their love of engineering and cars, which made Tony happy that there was someone who appreciated it as much as he did.

"Scott, I still do not know how you drive from place to place," Ororo said, grinning.

"Believe me, he doesn't see colors. He only sees red." Jean smirked.

"Everything is fucking red!" Scott laughed, shaking his head as they got into the car, Jean in the passenger's side. "I think that to myself every damn day."

"That's why I was shocked that you had passed your driver's test, Slim," Jean laughed.

"Oh, shut up! You act as though you hadn't had faith in me," Scott told her.

Jean playfully slapped him, causing Scott to wince in a teasing way. "Aww did that hurt you?" she asked him. Scott nodded, pulling off the puppy-dog look. Jean kissed his arm and then slapped him again. "You're such a baby," she said to him, laughing lightly as he started the car.

Ororo smiled from the back seat as she watched the banter between the two of them. She could just tell that from the moment she'd met them, that Jean and Scott had a bond that was very special between them. They might not have realized it, but almost everybody, including Logan, Tony, Pepper, Carol and the professor noticed too.

* * *

**Rec Room**

Meanwhile, Bobby was waiting on Warren. Since he couldn't drive yet, Bobby was relying on Scott, Happy and Warren to take him places when he wanted to go and hang out with his friends. Jean joked that once Bobby got his license, he'll be out the door at six A.M and come strolling into home at around ten at night without calling after school. That was why Xavier wanted to work on getting Bobby online schooling with Hank and Xavier acting as his personal tutors. After what had happened with Angelica being kidnapped by Cameron Hodge all those months ago, Xavier was especially worried for the safety of the kids, and online schooling would ensure their safety. Ororo was already getting tutored for her GED so that she could have the opportunity to go to college.

Bobby sat there in the rec room, waiting for Warren to drop him off at the diner that he was meeting his friends at. Looking down at his cellphone, he could see text messages from Johnny and Peter in their group chat, asking him where he was.

_**Pete: **__Bobby? Where are you at right now? We're all here waiting. _

_**Johnny: **__C'mon, Bobby! Angelica's complaining about you not being here. I swear, dude, she's bitching right now_

_**Angelica: **__Ignore Johnny, dude. He doesn't know what he's talking about right now. _

_**MJ: **__Listen to Angelica. Don't listen to Johnny. He really should leave the responsibilities of being a drama queen to me. _

Bobby let out a series of chuckles at his friends' text messages.

_**Bobby: **__Guy's, chill the hell out. I'm coming, guys. If only Warren would just hurry up . . . _

_**Johnny: **__When it comes to him getting ready, he's slower than molasses. He's more high-maintenance than Angelica _

_**Angelica: **__Johnny, I dare you, say that again . . . _

Angelica typed a series of flame emojis to warn Johnny of what could happen to him. Bobby burst into laughter. Finally, Warren emerged out of his room, hair combed back and gelled. He was smelling very strongly of cologne – Ralph Lauren's Hot cologne to be specific – and he was dressed in dress shirt and slacks. He looked as though he belonged on the cover of _Men's Vogue. _

"Well, _there_ you are! Where the hell were you? You take more time getting ready than Jean and Ororo combined. You're worse than a chick!" Bobby exclaimed, getting off the couch.

"Hey, what are you going to do, Bobby? Sue me?" Warren asked sarcastically as they prepared to take a Warren's car to the restaurant Bobby was meeting his friends at.

"No, I'm not. But, I feel I've gotta do something about it . . . maybe take away that Australian shampoo that you use." Bobby smirked mischievously.

Warren feigned a shocked and terrified expression. He and Scott had the hair to envy, after all. "You wouldn't!" he gasped, but, laughter escaped his throat as he prepared to pull out his car keys. Once they were in the garage, they approached Warren's white Bentley. Warren got into the driver's side and proceeded to drive Bobby off to the diner for the rest of the night. Once they were at the diner, Warren drove his car towards Queseda Valets after Bobby exited the car. The valet service station was not too far from the Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits, a high-end club that he frequently went to and was known as a regular.

Driving up to the valet service, he pulled his credit card out and handed it to one of the valets.

"You guys know what to do. Take care of my car; just had it waxed," Warren said, stepping out of the car.

"Absolutely, Mister Worthington," the valet said as he watched Warren turn off his image inducer watch and fly towards Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits, which was about a twenty-minute flight.

He proceeded to fly towards the club that he frequented. When he and Candy had been dating, they weren't the type of couple that went out constantly. They'd preferred quiet moments on the couch. But now, Warren found that he was going out clubbing a lot more than usual. He knew it was a habit he'd picked up as a coping mechanism to deal with Candy's death. It seemed as though after Candy's funeral, that he'd been going out clubbing almost every weakened. He stopped outside Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits, one of the few mutant-friendly clubs in town, and it was probably one of the most prestigious.

Arriving at the door, he flashed a grin at the security guards who worked there. Over the past few months, he'd grown to be a regular customer. And of course, the security guards knew who he was, given who his parents were.

"Hello, gentlemen," he said with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Worthington. You haven't been here in a bit," the bouncer said.

"Well, I've been busy with work. I'd just gotten a promotion a week ago," Warren said as he entered the bar.

Upon entering, he saw dozens upon dozens of mutants in the space, along with a few humans who were probably too intoxicated to realize that there were mutants there. Warren felt glad that there were places like this, considering he could allow his wings to be exposed freely. Walking up to the bar, he sat himself down.

"Hey, can get I get a glass of Blue Moon please?" he asked the bartender.

"Yes, Mr. Worthington." His beer got placed in front of him, and he proceeded to take a sip. He remembered the first time he'd tried beer. It had been at a house party when he was a freshman in high school, fifteen years old to be exact. It had been him, Cameron and Candy, and the three of them had been drunker than skunks. Cameron had bet Warren that he couldn't clean a whole pool table while drunk.

"_War, I bet you two hundred dollars that you cannot clear off this whole pool table after having a couple shots of Captain Jack," _Cameron had said to him at the time, his voice slurred from having drunk five shots of Bailey's Irish cream. Warren remembered that night. Cameron had been leaning over the couch, swaying drunkenly. Candy had been completely drunk off shots of tequila, her makeup smeared slightly as she practically leaned on top of him. He could still remember her drunken laughter, and how they'd been piss-faced. That was a time where it had been simple, where he didn't have to worry about the complications of mutation. Even though Candy had been a drunken mess with smeared lipstick, that was still his favorite memory of her. Even piss-faced drunk swaying on her feet and vomiting after too many shots of tequila, he'd still thought Candy had been the most beautiful girl there.

Of course, Warren had ended up winning that bet, and ended up robbing Cameron of two hundred dollars. It proved Warren was the king of playing pool. Seeing how pissed Cameron had been had been the real highlight of the night. It had been at a time where Warren still had a lot of arrogance in him. He remembered how he had been back then. He'd been spoiled, stupid and arrogant. Even he could admit to that.

After having his family disown him when he was sixteen, his arrogance dissipated after ending up on the streets and living with other mutants in a large pack in order to survive. It hadn't been a gang, necessarily, but, it had made him realize that he needed to grow up. He ending up in a hospital after being beaten by street thugs humbled him even more. It made him realize that even some humans cared about mutants, and that there was still hope.

As Warren continued to sit at the bar, he smiled to himself, knowing that over the years he'd grown up a lot, and thank God he did, because if he hadn't, he'd still be the idiotic spoiled brat he'd been at age fifteen.

'In a way, even though I hated my dad and mom for throwing me out, I am kind of thankful in a way, too, because that time I'd been away from them made me realize that I had to mature. If I hadn't . . . well . . . I would be fucked,' he thought to himself as he continued to sit there quietly, continuing to drink.

* * *

**Up next: Captive Angel**


	7. Issue 27: Captive Angel Part 1

_In a world that hates and fears mutants, the X-men are determined to be a symbol of hope in order to privatize peace between humans and mutants. After having fought against Senator Kelly who was attempting to register them under government contract, the X-men continue their mission of achieving peaceful human-mutant coexistence. _

_Over the course of the past four months, the X-men have faced successes and failures. But their latest success was the recruitment of Cecilia Reyes and Ororo Munroe. Now, finally having an opportunity at a night off, the X-men proceed to take a break from being superheroes for one night and focus on being teenagers._

* * *

**Issue 27: Captive Angel Part 1**

**Byrne's Diner **

For the X-men, a night off was a rarity, but, the nights that they did have off, they valued highly. It reminded them that even though they were superheroes at this point, they were still kids. For Bobby Drake, this couldn't be truer.

That evening, Bobby found that he was at Byrne's Diner which was a restaurant located downtown, hanging out with Johnny, Peter, Angelica and Mary-Jane. However, he was wondering why Peter had chosen this location of all places in the city.

"So, Pete, did you pick this spot because I happen to like the place? Or did you pick it because you knew we wouldn't be bothered by Flash Thompson due to the fact that it's mutant-friendly?" Bobby asked, his cheeseburger being so big he needed a steak knife to cut into it.

"Both," Peter said with a nod of his head.

"Good because I'm done with Flash's shit . . . I really am," Bobby said, eating his burger which had bacon on it.

"Bobby, I thought you weren't allowed to eat bacon?" asked Johnny.

"Just because I'm half Jew doesn't mean I have to eat Kosher. I was raised Irish Catholic, despite the fact that my father insists I celebrate Hanukkah in addition to Christmas," Bobby said, letting out a sigh.

"But, how are things going, you know, with your mom and dad?" asked Mary-Jane, her voice sympathetic.

Bobby let out a sigh. There was nothing he hated more than talking about his issues with his parents. He knew his family hated the fact that he was a mutant, even though Jean had insisted that that wasn't the case. But, Bobby sensed it whenever he spoke with them on the phone.

Whenever he attempted to mention his training, his mom would change the subject and refuse to speak with him about it. In fact, when he'd gone to his parents' house to celebrate Hanukkah as well as Christmas with them, the atmosphere had been so thick; you could have cut the tension with an ax. Bobby's own grandparents had refused to look him in the eye, and that more than anything else hurt. He'd been more than happy to leave a couple days after Christmas to go back to his new home in X-Corporation and spend New Year's with the X-men.

"It's – It's not any better than it was when they first learned I was a mutant. That should tell you something. They know I'm a mutant, but, they want to try and deny it. We don't talk about it," Bobby said to her.

"Hey man, okay? My home life and situation with my parents wasn't any different. Now, I'm being raised by my sister and her fiancé. I get it," Johnny told him, sensing that Bobby didn't want to speak about it. "Ange, be happy babe, that your family isn't as fucked up as our families. I mean, guess who I have to live with at home? Ben Grimm, my future brother-in-law's best friend; that man needs a sense of humor or else, he'll die without it."

"I am," Angelica said as she ate her New York strip. "But at least you have your sister, and her fiancé."

"Very true, I'm an only child who lives with his aunt and uncle," Peter reminded them.

"And I have a drunk for a father, so we're all even," Mary-Jane said in a cynical tone, picking at her garden salad with grilled shrimp.

An uncomfortable silence followed. There was nothing Mary-Jane, Bobby, Peter and Johnny hated more than discussing family issues. The four of them came from not the greatest of situations, with Angelica being the exception to this. However, that was what bonded the five of them together, because they were able to escape their horrible situations just by being with each other. But, at least Peter's aunt and uncle loved him and cared about him, but that did not mean Peter didn't miss his father and felt as though his uncle was trying to replace his father.

"Okay, can we change the subject, please?" asked Johnny, feeling as though the mood had to be lightened.

"Agreed, thank you God," Bobby said, eying his coleslaw and making a face. "Why does this place put raisins in the coleslaw?"

"I don't know, nor do I care, buddy," said Peter. "But, I can say, Bobby, that I feel, personally, you're making things a hell of a lot more peaceful. Though I'm green with envy over you; in a couple years from now, you'll be working under _Tony Stark!_" He started speaking in a tone that sounded overly excited, like he always did whenever he talked about science.

"I know, Pete, I get it. That's like your dream to do that. And I will say this: my best friend is a geek," Bobby said.

"But hey, he's a good-looking geek," Mary-Jane said with a coy grin.

"Yeah, but, Pete here's the thing. We're living in a world where we read comics all the time, and here I am going out playing superhero, minus the jumping off rooftops," Bobby said.

"Yeah, you actually remind me a lot of Nightwing – Dick Grayson," said Johnny around a mouthful of his pastrami sandwich.

"My name's Grayson – but kids call me Dick," Peter said.

"Kids can be cruel," Johnny said. "But aside from that, remember that line in _Batman Arkham Knight? _I'm proud of you, Dick."

"Okay, now, Johnny, I hate you, because you're making me come up with about a dozen dick jokes right now," Bobby said, starting to laugh. "You're such a douche!"

"Hey, if anyone's the douche here, it's Peter. Pete I swear to God, you're going to be one of those guys in your thirties where you're like, "I'm just going to sit here, drink wine . . . and . . . and read"." Johnny said.

"No, here's the thing, Johnny. I buy books to actually read," Peter quipped.

"You see? That's why I'm a baller and that's what makes you a douche," Johnny said.

"I'm not a douche!" Peter said, crossing his arms defensively.

"Pete, do you want your soda chilled more?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, thank you." Peter watched as Bobby used his cryokinesis to put the soda on ice.

"Alright, can we eat now?" Angelica laughed, using her powers to warm her cup of coffee which had gone colder the more that it sat there on the table.

Everyone nodded in agreement, turning their attention back to their meal in hopes that would make the tension in the air go away, and thankfully, it did.

* * *

**AMC Theaters – Two-and-a-Half Hours Later **

Scott, Jean and Ororo walked out of the AMC movie theater arm in arm with each other after having finished watching the movie, heading towards Scott's car so that they could turn in for the rest of the night.

"Okay, honestly, for this movie being a comedy, for my taste, it wasn't that great," Jean said. "It's a shame, because Brie Larsen's a great actress I was surprised she took on this movie."

"Don't all Hollywood actors and actresses need to make money?" asked Scott. "I mean, I haven't been entirely out of touch with movies and music. I may have been in an orphanage for my entire life, but, that doesn't mean I've missed out. I can say that one of the good movies I've seen in my days of living there was _Safehouse._"

"But doesn't Ryan Reynolds play himself in every movie that he's in?" asked Jean.

"That's what makes him great," Scott insisted. "Can we agree on that?"

"I think that we can," Ororo said. "'I'm not entirely out of touch."

"Though, I do have to say that my favorite film I think I've ever watched was probably _The Matrix, _1999, Keanu Reeves, oh, and Christian Bale _Batman Begins_," Jean said.

"You don't seem the type that would enjoy stuff like that Jean," Ororo said.

"Don't underestimate me; I've got a spot in my heart for action movies," Jean said as they approached Scott's convertible.

"Alright, so, let's get ourselves home. We've got a Danger Room session tomorrow with it being Saturday, but, at least Sunday, we're free," Scott said. "And that's a good thing, because Warren and Hank aren't working. Well, that's unless Hank's volunteering at the eye clinic, but, we all know the reason why he's volunteering there."

"Carly," Jean said with a knowing nod of her head, grinning.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Hank's Room **

Hanging upside down from the ceiling in his bedroom, Hank McCoy found he was having a private phone conversation, but not with just anybody. For the past year, Hank had been volunteering at an eye clinic for the blind, hoping to develop a procedure to help blind people see again. The first patient that they had was a young woman by the name of Carly Anne Crocker, an attractive brunette girl who had had no luck in finding a procedure to help her see again.

Hank had been brought in by request of the doctor in charge of developing the research, Alec Bolson. And when Hank had first laid eyes on Carly, to say that he was attracted to her was an understatement. Hank being twenty-four, and Carly being nineteen, their age gap wasn't too far apart, and now, they were at the stage of being in phone conversations that lasted up to an hour.

"Carly, I can say that Alec and I, we might be coming closer to finding the cure for your eye condition," Hank was telling her.

"_Oh Hank, you have got no idea just how happy that makes me. The idea of being able to see again . . . I never thought that that would happen," _Carly said.

"Indeed. All I can say is that if this is successful, then I can add that to other accomplishments I've managed to achieve in my life," Hank said.

"_I've got faith that one day, it's going to happen, Hank," _Carly told him. _"Anyway, I'm sorry but I've gotta go. My father's going to be home soon and . . ." _

"Oh, of course," Hank said, feeling slightly hurt. From what he understood, Carly's father was prejudice towards mutants, and just the idea of a mutant being in charge of his daughter's treatment disgusted him. He swallowed, letting out a sigh. "Bye, Carly," he told her.

"_Bye, Hank, I'll talk to you tomorrow," _Carly said, before hanging up on her end. Hank jumped down from the ceiling, staring at his blue, beastly appearance in the mirror with a twinge of bitterness.

'Why . . . why did this have to happen to me, of all people?' Hank thought sadly to himself.

* * *

**Outside Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits **

Warren exited Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits, feeling right as rain as he breathed in the cold evening air. Being out at the bar was fun for his night off; now, all he was thinking about was going home and getting some shut-eye before needing to head into work the next morning.

As Warren walked down the streets of Manhattan, he suddenly felt the most at peace that he had felt in a long while. He smiled as he prepared to take a nice long flight around the city before heading home. Being up in the clouds seemed to make his life feel so much simpler. It was his place of solitude and comfort away from all the craziness of the world. It kept him sane.

Just as he was about to stretch his wings out to fly around the city one more time to help himself relax a little bit, he saw from the corner of his eye something that he thought that he'd never see again.

He could see just around the corner that several Morlocks were causing property damage to several apartment buildings by drawing graffiti on the brick walls, saying, "Fuck the humans." Warren shook his head, keeping his head low as he walked past. After his last experience with Morlocks, he really didn't want to deal with them ever again. He shivered as he remembered what had happened the last time he'd had a run-in with their leader, Callisto. It had been when he was sixteen years old, just having run out of money to stay in the hotel his parents had dropped him off at. It played over and over again in his nightmares.

* * *

**42****nd**** Street – Six Years Ago**

Sixteen-year-old Warren Worthington III trudged along the snowy streets of New York, wearing only a thick trench coat and a pair of gloves, gripping his suitcase in his hands. He knew he didn't have enough money for food or drink, and he knew that his clothes were not going to last him long. He needed to find some shelter and fast.

'Damn, Mom and Dad . . . why? Why won't you two just accept me as I am? Why don't you want me?' he thought as he walked along, shivering from cold in the December air. Tears filled his eyes as he remembered the cold, uncaring looks in the eyes of his mother and father.

His whole life, he'd wanted nothing more than to be like his father, to please him, and now, his dad couldn't even look at him. He was considering finding Candy's house, knowing she would be more than happy to provide him her parents' guest room until he found a place to live. But, he didn't want to bother her or her family like that.

Sure, Candy was his best friend, but he would just feel guilty begging on his knees for her to provide him free room and board. He didn't want anyone's pity, especially from the likes of his best friend since he was practically in diapers.

As Warren continued to walk, he knew that he couldn't have his wings exposed. People would automatically know that he was a mutant. And not just any mutant: the disgraced son of Warren Worthington, Jr. and Katherine Worthington. He continued to keep his head low, shivering from cold. He hated that he needed to hide his wings.

Rounding around the corner to a back-alley way, he turned his head to see a couple of mutants being beaten down by a couple of thugs wearing bandanas. He could tell that they were mutants just by seeing what they looked like.

One was a little boy who looked no older than seven years old, with green skin wearing a red beanie. Another was a young woman with long, flowing red hair wearing a fur jacket and a fedora. The third one appeared to be a woman older than Warren by at least a few years, with short, spikey black hair, an eye patch and extremely pale skin. Warren shook his head. He knew that this wasn't right. He knew he couldn't just stand there and watch as three innocent people got the crap beaten out of them just because they looked different. Ripping his trench off, he ran into the fray.

"HEY LEAVE THEM ALONE!" he yelled out. "GIVE THEM A BREAK!"

"Oh God . . . it's another mutie freak!" shouted one of the gang members in a panic.

"Let's get outta here, Paulie!" another cried, and they proceeded to run away as Warren came closer to the three mutants who had needed help.

"You guys okay?" he asked them as he approached them.

"Yeah, yeah, we're alright, thank you," the woman with red hair said. "Wait, you're Warren Worthington III, right?"

"Yeah . . . well, I'm disgraced from the family name." Warren noticed that these three mutants had a feature unique about them. They had the letter 'M' branded on their faces.

"I'm Sonya . . . or better known as Beautiful Dreamer. These are my friends, Callisto and Adam Leech. We um . . . let's say, our circumstances are pretty shitty," said the woman known as Beautiful Dreamer.

Callisto cast Warren a look. The fact that this mutant had willingly gone out of his way to try and save them from getting beaten, it said a lot to her.

"Well, I should probably be on my way; I've gotta find a place to lay low for a while," Warren explained.

"You can come with us," said the little boy, Leech, with a smile that seemed very warm.

"Yes, we have some shelter down below, if you wish," Callisto said. She seemed to be flashing him a rather flirtatious smile, something Warren was surprised by considering he'd just met these people.

"Um, no, I'm fairly fine on my own, thank you," Warren said. "I'll just get going, but thanks for the offer."

"Why do you say that? Why try hiding your gift?" Callisto asked, reaching a hand forward to touch one of Warren's wings.

"It doesn't feel like much of a gift," Warren whispered.

"Believe me, it never does at first. But, we must rise above the humans. I mean, aren't you tired of being bullied, or being harassed because you're different? You should be flaunting a power as beautiful as this," Callisto said quietly.

Warren swallowed. "You mean my wings?"

"Yes, you have the ability to fly! That's what everyone practically dreams about. Why cover that? Why hide something so beautiful? Who cares if you're feared? It's the humans who clearly have a problem." Callisto was sounding quite persuasive.

"Look, I truly am flattered, but, I can't," Warren said.

"Why? What's there to be afraid of?" asked Beautiful Dreamer.

"It's just . . . look I'd just run out of money to stay in a hotel. I'd just gotten kicked out of my home. It happened all at once I just need time," Warren said.

"Well, with us, you wouldn't have to worry about that. We don't _abandon _our own," Callisto said.

* * *

**52****nd**** Street – Present Day **

The memory of his time with the Morlocks burned in the back of Warren's mind as he continued to walk, intending on keeping his head low. He knew that if he saw Callisto again, she was going to be beyond pissed off. It was so obvious how she had felt towards Warren before he'd left; it was part of why he'd left to live on the streets in the first place, because he couldn't deal with the idea of an older woman lusting after him like that.

He hoped and prayed that the Morlocks didn't notice him. He could see that they were Caliban, Ray Crisp, Thornn and her sister Feral. He remembered Ray to have quite the temper on him for a thirteen-year-old boy at the time. Now, Ray was grown, a couple years younger than Warren, but, all grown up at this point.

As he walked on by, he could feel and sense Caliban's presence following him closely. However, what he wasn't expected was to get hit with a shock of electricity from Ray Crisp – Berserker, which knocked him off his feet as it hit his wings. Falling to the ground, he groaned in pain.

"Well, look at who is passing by. A mutant who had at one point very well could have been one of our own," spat Caliban in his thick British accent.

"Caliban . . . c'mon I don't want any trouble," groaned Warren.

"Clearly, you do. You're passing on our turf!" snapped Feral around a wild growl, her and her sister, Thornn, both having cat-like appearances.

"You know, since you'd abandoned us last time, Callisto has had a bone to pick with you for choosing to live life on the surface with the humans rather than us! We could have very well been your new family, Warren, and yet you left and look at where you are now! Living the good life working for _Tony Stark!_" spat Ray around a harsh glare and a disgusted tone.

"Berserker, c'mon kid, you're better than this," Warren pled as he felt Feral and Thornn grabbing a tight hold on him and forcing him to his feet.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Warren," spat Ray. "Now come on, the boss wants to have a word with you!"

* * *

**Up next: Captive Angel Part 2**


	8. Issue 28: Captive Angel Part 2

_The X-men strive every day to protect a world that hates and fears them. They've faced their own successes and failures together as a team as they work towards achieving a peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants. Unfortunately, there are mutants out there who do not believe in their ideals. _

_As the X-men enjoy their night off from being superheroes, Warren is faced with a piece of his past that he doesn't have a lot of pride in. As Warren is returning home from going clubbing, he is faced with a group of mutants he'd once been friends with. These mutants are known to the world as the Morlocks, living underground in the sewers of New York and acting as vigilantes who take in mutants looking for safe harbor underground. _

_Unfortunately, Warren's last encounter with this group of mutants hadn't ended in the most amicable way, and is about to face his fate for betraying those who had once helped him._

* * *

**Issue 28: Captive Angel Part 2**

**Sewers**

Of all the things that Warren Worthington III couldn't have hoped for in the world, it would be getting caught up with the Morlocks again.

Being dragged along by Feral and Thornn with Caliban and Berserker leading the way, he still felt the electric shock in his wings from Ray's attack. His head hurt after having hit it on the pavement when he went tumbling onto his ass. He knew that with the Morlocks, they weren't bringing him down to their HQ in peace.

Peace, reason and understanding were never their strong suits, unless you counted the more peaceful members such as Marrow, Shatter, Annalee, Leech and Healer, whom Warren had left on better terms with.

But, the more aggressive members like Spyke, Caliban, Feral, Callisto and Beautiful Dreamer were ones that he'd truly pissed off when he'd left to live on the surface. Those members were more xenophobic than Magneto and his Brotherhood ever could be towards humans. He knew that they had a lot of anger towards humanity, especially for the way they'd been treated.

Warren wheezed in pain as he felt Feral kicking him hard in his side. He coughed hard, though it sounded more like a gagging sound than anything.

'Christ,' he thought as he continued to get dragged like a ragdoll. He felt he was being kicked again, this time by Thornn. He suddenly remembered Thornn and Feral packed a wallop when they got aggressive. 'I never thought I'd be stuck back down here after having left seven years ago . . . Emma and I, we'd never looked back. Now here I go again. I already know Callisto isn't going to be happy to see me, and she's not going to approach me in peace, ever. Not after what I'd done.'

As Warren got dragged down through the sewers, old memories of how he'd been caught up with this ragtag group of underground misfits came back to him. The smell of the sewer waters and the dark, cold, damp environment below only further made him remember. They were memories that weren't very pleasant or peaceful, to say the least.

* * *

**Morlocks Lair – Six Years Ago**

Warren had been staying with the Morlocks for a total of two months; however, it was a month after he lived there that he realized that the lifestyle wasn't for him.

During the months of him living there under the sewers of New York, he'd been an unofficial member since he'd refused to get the 'M' branded onto his face. Or at least, Callisto had allowed him to not get branded, since she said he had "too pretty of a face" for it to get all marked up. As far as he could tell, he was just a refugee with them, along with a few other mutants that didn't have a home anywhere else.

As Warren sat there on the floor, he contemplated leaving. He'd been contemplating it for a month or so now, and now, he really was considering. During his stay with the Morlocks, he'd been witnessed to their behavior that made them look like vigilantes to him. They destroyed property, stole and caused a scene at several chemical factories throughout the city.

For Warren, it made him feel discomforted, especially as he stood witness to it all. But he felt even more uncomfortable around Callisto, who seemed to have developed feelings for him that were far beyond friendship. Her feelings seemed to be ones of lust. He remembered how Callisto seemed to take joy in causing such chaos throughout the city.

"_Warren, this life that we live, humans will never understand; we need to send them the message that we won't be bullied by the likes of them. Your parents are some of the most powerful humans alive!" _

"_Callisto, as much as I hate my mother and father for what they've done to me, this is taking it too far. I mean, attacking their house? That's wrong," _Warren had asked her.

"_Warren, did they take you into any kind of consideration when they kicked you out of your home? When we found you, you were cold, and alone. You were living like a pathetic beggar thinking you can walk amongst those that hate us! We took you in, and we gave you a family. Why shouldn't we do this? Why wouldn't you want revenge against your parents?" _

"_If you're doing it, I don't want any part of it, because it'll just prove to my father and my mother that they should be afraid of me." _

Getting up from his makeshift bed of newspapers and cardboard as he remembered Callisto's extreme words, Warren proceeded to prepare to put his trench back on so that he could go up to the surface. He knew that the other Morlocks were sleeping in tunnels not far from him, so he knew that he had to be as quiet as a mouse if he were to get out of there.

Several other mutant refugees that had been living there, including his closest friend, Emma, had left, deciding the lifestyle to not be for them. But he knew if he left, he'd be on his own without any help whatsoever. Callisto would be pissed off as well, but he didn't care. He just had to leave. He couldn't be part of something like this where it was a group of mutants causing petty crimes to try and prove that humanity was a bunch of bullshit.

He knew that he couldn't live his life running like this. He wasn't a thug. He'd take living on the streets than living in the sewers like some sort of criminal. He additionally did not know if he could take much more of Callisto flirting with him either; she was twenty-two and he was sixteen.

The fact that Callisto didn't seem to care that he was underage scared him to the point where the more time he was around her, the worse he felt. She just didn't seem to know her boundaries with him and she came on too strongly too fast. He so badly missed the security he felt when he was with Candy; she brought him nothing but comfort because she was so Zen, so peaceful. He missed that.

Just as he was about to exit the sewer, he was stopped by a voice. "Where are you going?" asked little Adam Leech in a curious voice.

"I'm just . . . Adam, I'm sorry. But this life, hiding, acting like I'm too good for humanity, it's not for me," Warren whispered to him. "I can't stay buddy, I can't."

"But we don't want you to go. Callisto doesn't want you to," Leech said.

"Adam, I know, but . . . I just can't," Warren said, kneeling in front of him. He had a soft spot in his heart for Leech. This was a little boy thrown into this; the Morlocks were the only family he ever knew; he'd been raised by them his whole life.

"Okay," the boy said in defeat. "Just . . . be safe, alright."

"I will, buddy, and I'll try to check in once in a while." Warren leaned a hand onto the little boy's shoulder before getting ready to fly off. But that was the moment Callisto came out from around the corner.

"Angel, where are you going?" she asked. She'd come up with that nickname for him weeks prior.

"Callisto . . . look, I really do appreciate your guys' hospitality here. But, I just do not know if this life is for me," Warren said.

Callisto's face contorted and twisted into a slight look of anger. "So you'd rather be on the run for the rest of your life, like Emma, and Domino, and Skids?"

"Callisto, I can't. I'm not a thug. This isn't how I want to live," Warren said. "And on top of that, the fact is, you attacked Worthington Manor. I may not have been part of it, but, hearing about it was bad enough."

Callisto just glared at him. "Fine, see how you do without me . . . but I promise you, that if we ever cross paths again, I won't forget this!" She turned away, looking hurt and betrayed by Warren.

* * *

**Morlocks Lair – Present Day **

Warren continued to get shoved along the tunnels of the sewers closer and closer to the Morlocks lair by his former friends, keeping his mouth shut. The more you tried to reason with them, the angrier they got. Shaking his head, he was shoved down to the floor, the sewer water soaking his wings as he fell at the feet of the rest of the Morlocks.

'Great, this is just magnificent,' Warren thought as he continued to get dragged like a dog through the murky waters. The smell of excrement, filth and garbage was overwhelming. 'The last thing I wanted was to _ever _have an encounter with Callisto again. No doubt, the woman isn't going to be happy to see me. Who can blame her? The way I had left . . . anyone who decides to leave the Morlocks, I feel sorry for them. I was there, too. They do not forget, and they do _not _forgive.'

Before him were Callisto, Spyke, Marrow, Healer, Leech, Shatter, Scaleface, Annalee and Beautiful Dreamer, all staring him down. He also noticed some newer members, including Clarice Ferguson whom he and the X-men had rescued off of Genosha those months ago. He felt a hard kick to his ribs sent his way by Spyke, causing him to groan in pain as he tried pushing himself off the ground.

"Thank you for bringing him to us, Feral, Thornn, Caliban and Berserker, much is appreciated," Callisto sneered in a venomous tone that stung.

"Callisto, what do you want?" Warren asked her around a ground of pain as he felt Spyke kick him in the ribs once again.

"A little payback for abandoning us," spat Callisto.

"Callisto . . . look, the lifestyle that you all wanted me to go along with wasn't for me!" Warren grunted. "I'm not a thug! I'm not looking to cause any trouble for anyone. What you guys were doing was illegal! The last 'mission' you guys tried to take me on, you were looking to attack my father and mother's house! And when I heard about the damage that you had caused . . . I'd felt sick to my stomach. For all we know, it just made my father want to buddy up with Senator Kelly! No wonder Domino, Skids and Emma left . . . they didn't want to get caught up in this either!"

He felt another sharp kick in his stomach, causing him to cough and gag. His ribs were already beginning to feel as though they were bruising. Living on the streets for as long as he had after he'd been disowned by his family, he knew the difference between bruised, cracked and broken ribs. He'd had to patch up a lot of his own injuries many times. There were probably many times he should have gone to a hospital, but at the time, he'd had too much pride. He would rather suffer alone than have others look at him with pity for being a homeless street kid dumpster diving and hiding in abandoned apartments. He'd hated being a charity case for someone else. The looks people would give him alone made him feel like crap. He hadn't wanted to accept help from anyone.

"Have you seen them since you've abandoned us?" growled Scaleface, who went to stand by her lover, Berserker. She was in her full, reptilian-type form, her sharp teeth bared.

"I've only seen Emma a few years back . . . Domino and Skids . . . haven't had a run-in with either of them," Warren wheezed out, still recovering from Spyke's kicks to his stomach and chest. What he was saying was the truth though. The last former member of the Morlocks he'd seen had been his closest and dearest friend Emma. To say his last encounter with Emma hadn't ended well would be an understatement.

"C'mon guys, just let me go, please! This is ridiculous! And Adam, Healer, Sarah, Annalee, Shatter?" he asked, referring to Marrow and Leech by their first name basis. "You guys, too? We were friends; I was nothing but good to you. I can't believe you guys would go along with this! You guys are better than this!"

Adam Leech stepped forward, a sorrowful look on his features. The little boy Warren had gotten to know and like over time had grown up into a young teen. But, seeing him going along with this pained Warren greatly. It made his chest ache in a way nothing else in the world could. He could take betrayal from other Morlocks. But from Leech, Marrow, Healer, and Shatter, it was like a stab to the heart. It hurt more than the kicks Spyke was sending to his chest and stomach.

"I'm sorry, Warren," Leech said honestly, his high-pitched voice still sounding the same as he remembered.

Marrow – Sarah stepped forward too, looking regretful. Sadness was in her eyes. Despite being covered in marrow-like bones like Spyke, she was softer in her heart than most thought her to be. She had always been kind to him; Warren remembered her to have been so sweet and filled with integrity. The fact that she was going along with this hurt.

"Sorry, Angel, but, what Callisto says, we must do," Marrow said with that same level of honesty Leech had in his tone.

"Do you guys not have minds of your own?" Warren asked them, looking at Shatter and Healer in great disappointment, the two Morlocks he'd respected in his time of living down there during those two months of them giving him shelter.

"They are perfectly capable of making their own decisions, Angel; they chose this because they know there is no other way," whispered Callisto coolly. She turned to Feral and Thornn. "Restrain him . . . we'll figure out what to do with him a little later."

The two cat-like mutant sisters nodded and grabbed hold of Warren again, dragging him like a dog to an area where chains and shackles were awaiting him. He knew as long as Leech was around him in close proximity, he wouldn't be able to use his powers since Leech could halter mutants from using their abilities.

He was shackled to the chains that were attached to the wall, hanging there as his head hung against his chest. He couldn't believe this. Some of these mutants who were down there used to be his friends.

He remembered Annalee who had been a motherly figure to him, Leech, Spyke and Marrow during those two months he'd lived there. They'd all come from crappy circumstances of being rejected by society because of their mutations, and they became like a family, because who else did they have? Once he was shackled to the wall, Callisto approached him.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Warren, but it's the only way," she said to him, stroking his face softly.

"Callisto . . . stop," groaned Warren, flinching from her touch. The fact that she had once had a thing for him didn't help this situation. In fact, it just brought Warren more discomfort. He could see that she still carried with her a blade that she'd used frequently. She proceeded to tear his shirt and sports jacket off to expose his muscular, toned chest.

"You could have very well been with us, Warren. You could have shown humanity that your gifts are not a curse. Instead, you chose to run off on us and live with _Tony Stark. _What does he know of our struggle for survival? What does he know of what it's like to be hated simply because you look different?" spat Callisto, the hatred and disgust rolling off her tongue.

"Come on, Callisto . . . Tony . . . he's helping mutants . . ." Warren pled with her. "He's-He's securing their futures by giving them job opportunities, something many aren't willing to do for those like us!"

"_Helping _mutants?" Callisto barked out a laugh. "Wow, that's so rich! And here you stand high and mighty as if you're above us."

"I'm not acting as though I am above you!" Warren said to her behind a clenched jaw. "C'mon, listen to reason for once! What you're doing is only adding to the toxic environment and you'll just make things worse for mutants everywhere! You're doing this to yourself at this point, Callisto! Learn to see the forest through the trees, for once in your God damn life."

"No, I am not," Callisto whispered, stroking his wings. "It's a real shame you hid these glorious feathers for so long, Warren. You truly did not know how special you were until you were with us. And then you left because you still somehow care for the surface world, despite all that was done to you. But, karma's a bitch, and so am I."

"What are you _talking _about? What are you going to do to me? Torture me?"

"Oh no, Warren, I've got plans for you that are far beyond torture. You know, I'd loved you, Warren, and I still do . . . when you left; you'd left a hole in my heart."

"I was sixteen! You were twenty-two! I was too young for you to begin with!" Warren remembered the age gap between the two of them had made him highly uncomfortable. Callisto's flirting and having feelings for him were two other equations as to why he'd wanted to leave. He couldn't take the idea of her attempting to force him into being her husband. "You flirting with me at that time, you were relentless!"

"Doesn't matter, Warren." Callisto stroked the side of his face. "You know during those two months of you living here, I very well could have been your bride."

"So that's what this is about? Forcing me to _marry _you? Well you've got one funny way of proposing! You're fucking eccentric!" Warren spat out, glaring at her.

"Now, now, Warren, no need to be so crass right now. Now, you can go along with this, or, you can suffer. It's your choice at this point," Callisto purred.

"Go to hell!" Warren grunted.

"Second choice it is." Callisto stepped out of the room, leaving Warren with Spyke and Berserker. Warren struggled against his shackles, knowing what this meant. He knew Spyke and Berserker to be the main mutants used for interrogation. Suddenly, that was the moment he felt Ray hitting him with a round of shocks of electricity.

"AHHHHHHH!" Warren yelled out as the pain of the electrical shocks hit his body.

"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" asked Berserker. "Now you know how it felt when you left . . . how it _stung!_" The hot-headed mutant hit him with another round of shocks of electricity, causing Warren to scream in pain again. He felt Spyke firing a round of his spikes at his exposed skin, that adding to the searing pain as well. Only one thought ran through his mind:

'Professor . . .'

* * *

**Up next: Captive Angel Part 3 **


	9. Issue 29: Captive Angel Part 3

_The X-men of X-Corporation constantly strive to protect a world that hates and fears them. However, very rarely do they get the opportunity to enjoy being themselves. As they enjoy their night off, however, Warren "Angel" Worthington III is faced with a piece of his past that he's been wanting to run away from. _

_Seven years ago, Warren had been a refugee with a group of underground mutants known to the world as the Morlocks. The Morlocks consist of the most deformed, and the most abnormal of all mutants who cannot fit in with the society of the surface world. Warren had lived with them for a few months until he'd learned of their intent to attack his family's home. As a result, he'd ran away, but now he is faced with the mutants he's betrayed by leaving. _

_Now captured by his former friends, Warren reaches out to Professor Xavier, hoping for his teammates to come to his rescue._

* * *

**Issue 29: Captive Angel Part 3**

**X-Corporation Tower – Cerebro Chamber**

Professor Xavier was in the Cerebro chamber in the basement, updating the computer with Forge's assistance when he felt a powerful surge coming over his mind, powerful enough to make him lean over in pain.

'Professor . . .' a single voice said throughout his mind, and suddenly, before his eyes, he saw Warren chained down somewhere, appearing to be a sewer. From what the professor could tell, he was trapped with the Morlocks just from the looks of everything that was going on. Professor Xavier was very aware of Warren's experience being part of the Morlocks for two months.

Warren had told him specifically that part of the reason why he had left was because a couple weeks before he left, the Morlocks had attacked Worthington Manor, endangering Warren's father and mother. That to Warren had been the point where the line had been crossed. So, one night, he got up in the middle of the night and he went back to the surfaces of New York, and he never looked back, living with friends who had left the Morlocks like he did. It wasn't until Warren had gotten beat up and sent to a hospital that the professor and Tony had found him.

'Warren, where are you?' the professor asked him. He was interrupted by the intense feeling of agony again coming from Warren. He could sense the thoughts of several Morlocks in that location. He knew that the ideals of the Morlocks were not the definition of peaceful. However, he couldn't break through Caliban and Callisto's shields which were tighter than Fort Knox. He knew if Warren was with Callisto and Caliban, then he was in the sewers located between 42nd Street and West 44th.

'Professor . . . help.'

'Hang on Warren . . . we're coming,' the professor assured his first prodigy. Taking the helmet off of his head, he proceeded to call everyone down there. 'X-men and Cecilia, meet me in the Cerebro room in full uniform. Warren's in trouble.'

"What was that about, Charles?" asked Forge.

"The Morlocks have kidnapped Warren," Xavier said in a grim tone.

"What do you need me to do?" Forge asked.

"You're going with them," Xavier said.

"Uh, Professor, I'm not that useful in a fight are you sure about this?" Forge asked.

"Just go with them and fly the jet," Xavier insisted.

Forge nodded, turning off his image inducer to reveal his blue and yellow X-man uniform which allowed his mechanical leg to be exposed, showing his mutant power of being able to adapt to any kind of technology. Not even five minutes later, Scott, Jean, Ororo, Cecilia, Bobby and Hank arrived.

"Professor, what's going on with Warren?" asked Bobby. "Because I had to take the train to get back home. I never take the subway anywhere, ever!" Jean elbowed him in the ribs at his insensitivity.

"Warren's been kidnapped," the professor explained as he sat there.

"By who?" Ororo asked.

"A group of mutants who live underground in the sewers. They call themselves the Morlocks because their mutations cause them to look so deformed that they cannot fit in with society. Warren . . . he's got a bit of a history with them. Let's just put it that way," said Forge.

Cecilia seemed to pale at the mentioning of the Morlocks.

"Why would Warren Worthington III, the king of going out, be affiliated with a group like that?" asked Jean.

"Because Warren . . . he'd ended up on the streets at one point," Hank explained. "After he'd ran out of money to stay in a hotel that his parents had sent him to after kicking him out of the house, he was walking along 42nd Street when he noticed a couple of mutants being beaten by muggers.

"He'd helped them, but, little did he know they were Morlocks. He and a few other mutants lived with them as refugees for two months. Warren very well could have become a member, but, when the Morlocks' leader, Callisto, told him that they were going to stage an attack on Worthington Manor, Warren fled. He knew that he couldn't stick around after that, especially when he heard the details of what happened to his mother and father's home. He must have left on bad terms, because if that's the case, then if the Morlocks have him, he's in trouble," Hank continued.

"Well, what are their abilities?" asked Scott as they got ready to board the X-jet.

"Well, from what Warren has described, the Morlocks' powers range differently. Their member Caliban can track any mutant from any distance. Callisto has superhuman senses, speed and an accelerated healing factor. Another one of them is named Spyke and his powers include having armadillo-type armor surrounding his body. And the youngest member, Adam Leech, can halter mutants from using their abilities. They also have a psychic who can create projections by simply breathing on people; she can erase memories she can create memories; they use her mainly for interrogation purposes," Hank explained.

"I've treated a few of them when I was still an employee at Claremont Regional Hospital. These are people who are down on their luck in terms of getting medical treatment because of their abnormal deformities. It's awful," Cecilia said sadly, adjusting her X-man uniform on her body.

Never in a million years did she ever think she'd be putting on spandex and doing the superhero gig. In fact, at first, she didn't even have an interest in such a thing. But, she knew when she joined X-Corporation to act as Hank's lab assistant and a mentor figure for Jean that she'd have to slap on a uniform at some point in time.

"So, we're about to walk through human excrement and disgusting sewage water?" asked Bobby seriously.

"Looks like it, and Bobby, don't bitch, because this is Warren we're talking about here," Jean said sternly, worried immensely for her friend.

"I'm not bitching," Bobby insisted.

"Yes, okay, we'll believe that," said Ororo, standing there in her white X-man uniform with a cape attached to it as they entered the jet. Forge took his seat in the pilot's chair while Scott and Hank sat up in the cockpit. Jean took her seat between Ororo and Cecilia, breathing deeply.

'Don't worry, War. We're coming for you,' Jean thought as she sat there, closing her eyes before pulling her mask and cowl up over her face.

* * *

**Morlocks Lair **

Warren was chained down to the wall on his shackles in the Morlock lair in the sewers for over twenty minutes, groaning in pain every time Ray Crisp shocked him or Spyke hit him with one of his spikes. But, what confused the crap out of him was the fact that Healer was going out of his way to heal his wounds and Leech was going out of his way to get him water so he didn't dehydrate. Warren could tell that Leech and Healer still had a little bit of loyalty towards him, but, their betrayal still hurt.

As Warren continued to hang there, he coughed hard. His ribs felt as though they were either bruised or cracked due to Spyke constantly kicking and punching him in the stomach and chest. The more he coughed, the more his ribs seared in pain.

That was the moment Shatter came into the room, a slight look of sympathy in his eye.

"Shatter," Warren coughed out to his former friend. "Please . . ."

"Warren, I'm sorry I can't," Shatter said softly.

"No . . . no please . . . just let me go!"

"Warren, I'm afraid that I can't. It's Callisto's orders." Shatter sounded regretful.

"Come on, man, don't you have a mind of your own?" Warren asked.

"I do, but, this is out of my hands. Callisto made it clear if one of us frees you, we're out," Shatter said.

"Why the hell are you staying?!" Warren gasped out.

"This is my only home, Warren. I can't." Shatter shook his head.

Warren let his head hang against his bare chest, which was now bleeding profusely due to Spyke, Ray, Feral and Caliban beating the crap out of him. He was wondering when Healer would come in. He was in so much physical pain that he couldn't think straight. Callisto's ultimatum was no better. He didn't want to have to become her husband, of all things in the world. It made him miss Candy so much, his security, his safety net, his beacon.

Warren continued to cough as Shatter left the room. His ribs hurt so badly he felt as though he could hardly take in a breath. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the amount of pain that he was in. That was when Callisto came back into the room.

"So, have you changed your mind?" she asked him.

"Go . . . to . . . hell," he wheezed at her. He felt Callisto punch him hard in the ribs, causing him to cough harder. He felt as though he was about to hack up a lung or vomit.

"You've always been a stubborn one, Angel," Callisto sneered, grabbing his face to look him in the eye. He had a bruise on his face thanks to Caliban and Scaleface.

"Well, I'm not changing," groaned Warren. "So, give it up . . . because I made it very clear the day I left! I'm done!"

He felt Callisto punch him again in the stomach, causing him more pain. But he held his tears back out of his eyes. He'd take losing Candy over and over compared to this.

* * *

**Sewers **

"Okay . . . I literally feel as though I am walking through toxic waste. And by the way, Beast, this place makes your fur stink even more," Iceman was saying.

"Shut up, Bobby!" Marvel Girl and Cyclops told him at the same time, anger evident in their voices. They were down there looking for Warren who had been kidnapped by a group of mutants that lived down there, and Bobby was choosing this moment to be a little bitch.

"Iceman, let's just focus on the task at hand which is getting Warren out of here to safety so we can all go home," suggested Cecilia as she trudged along through the murky, disgusting sewer waters. They could hear the high pitches of several rats looking for food. Water dripped down from the pipes. Their footsteps echoed throughout. This was no place for anybody to live.

"I just cannot believe that people live down here," whispered Storm.

"Believe me, Storm. When your mutation causes you to look so deformed that you are outcast from society, the Morlocks are where it's at for those people," Beast said sadly. "These people were outcast completely; their own mothers threw them away. They're a family unit, but they want to be completely separated from humanity. They aren't anything like Magneto. They do not believe per say that mutants should reign Supreme, but they do believe that mutants and humans will never be able to live together peacefully because they've seen the worst of it all."

"Well, Beast, to be fair, we've seen some pretty bad things in our lives, but we've never considered this," said Cyclops.

"True, Scott, but not everybody is like you," Forge told him as they continued to trudge along.

"Just keep your eyes and ears open everyone. The Morlocks are unpredictable. Do not underestimate them," Beast said.

"Wow, _that _brings me a ton of comfort!" Iceman said sarcastically.

"Bobby, quit bitching!" Marvel Girl snapped. "Okay? Get your head in the game! We're down here for a rescue mission! Warren's our friend!"

"Jean's right," Cyclops reasoned, leaning a hand onto her shoulder. He understood Marvel Girl was very passionate and protective over her friendships and relationships. "Easy, Marvel Girl. We'll find Warren we'll get him back."

"Well, I hope you're right, because I sure cannot take another second down here," Forge said. "I am literally walking through shit."

"Well, isn't it good luck to step in shit?" asked Storm.

Everyone let out a sigh. They knew better than to attempt splitting up in pairs. If the Morlocks were looking to attack, they could do it at any second. They had to keep their guard up.

As they walked further down the sewer that was the moment a spike looking as though it were made of marrow soared out at them, nearly hitting Cecilia. Luckily, she put a force field up just in time to protect herself.

'Dammit . . . X-men are here,' Marvel Girl heard the thoughts of someone.

"Guys, a mutant; male, do not engage," Marvel Girl breathed out to them just as the mutant showed himself. He was nothing more than Spyke, his armor around him just like an armadillo, his dark skin looking darker underneath the murky tunnels of the sewer. However, he seemed to catch Storm's attention.

"Wait . . . Ororo?" the young man asked . . . he looked to be about maybe sixteen years old.

Storm had a shocked expression residing on her faced as she took in the sight.

"Storm, do you know him?" asked Cyclops.

"Evan Daniels . . . he's my cousin," Storm explained softly.

"Down here, I only go by the name of Spyke," Spyke said coldly.

"Evan, what happened to you?" Storm asked her younger cousin softly.

"My mutation happened. One day, I awoke and I was able to fire spikes out of my body that seem to be made of bones . . . Mom and Dad . . . well, let's say that they didn't take the idea of their son being a mutant too kindly. I was soon enough found by the Morlocks and they took me in," Spyke explained bitterly. "I'd rather roll with these guys than go back to the inner city."

"I'm sorry you suffered," said Marvel Girl, feeling a pang of sympathy for the younger teen.

"I don't want your pity. None of us want the X-men's pity," spat Spyke.

"We're not here to pity you . . . we're just here because you took a friend of ours," said Beast in a very calm tone. "I am a pacifist by nature; we're not here for a fight."

"As far as I'm concerned, the moment you step down here, you're on our property, which means you _are _looking for a fight," Spyke said, taking a fighting stance.

"Come on, Evan, please, listen to reason," Storm said, trying to rationalize with her cousin. "You're my blood . . . my family!"

"Sorry, Ororo, the life of the X-men may be for you, but I know my place, and it sure as hell isn't with you!" Spyke spat at her. That was the moment he launched a full range of spikes at the X-men, the bone-like spikes firing in all different directions. Marvel Girl and Cecilia shielded themselves by putting up force fields around their bodies as Spyke ran off.

"Okay, clearly, they're up for playing dirty!" said Iceman.

"You think?!" shouted Marvel Girl. Turning to Storm, she said, "Storm, I think in terms of who has the most fucked up family life, you and your cousin might just take the cake." She and Storm and Cyclops took off down the tunnels together.

"I always knew that my aunt Valerie and my uncle Edward had a poor relationship with their son . . . but this," whispered Storm. "Goddess . . . if only I had known . . ."

"You couldn't have known, Storm," Cyclops said, resting a comforting hand onto her shoulder as a friendly gesture. "Don't worry. Let's just focus on getting Warren out of here and onto the jet."

"I just hope that he's okay," said Marvel Girl in a worried tone.

"Warren's strong, Jean, I'm sure he'll be alright," Cyclops said, taking her by the hand to comfort her.

* * *

**Sewers – South Side **

Meanwhile, Beast, Cecilia, Forge and Iceman were heading down another tunnel, having been split from the others. They were just hoping and praying that they didn't run into anymore Morlocks, because if their run-in with Storm's cousin Evan had any indication at all, then that meant they were in for real trouble.

"God . . . I didn't know Storm even had a cousin, let alone one who is a Morlock," Forge said, still trying to get over the shock of it all.

"Well to be fair, we've only had her with us for about a week or so," reasoned Beast as they trudged along, their feet sloshing around in the dirty waters.

"Well, if the other Morlocks are anything like Spyke, then we should be terrified, because he seems to be quite the pest," Iceman said. "Someone should tell that kid he needs discipline or a timeout."

"If you want to talk about problem children who need a timeout, then you should meet Professor Xavier's son David," said Cecilia as she kept a force field up around her as a form of protection.

Forge had his goggles up over his face as the form of a mask, looking around the sewers. He had fitted in night-vision into his goggles to make it easier to see in darkness like this. As they continued to walk along the tunnels, that was the moment they felt someone speeding past them, knocking them off their feet. Then they saw a mutant who looked like a giant reptile appearing.

"X-men!" the reptile-like mutant growled, baring her teeth at them.

"Alright, X-men, fall back," Beast said.

"What are you talking about right now?" Iceman exclaimed, his eyes bulging behind his mask as he put his organic ice form around himself.

"That's the spirit!" Scaleface hissed aggressively as she went into attack mode. She nodded for her lover, Berserker, to fire bolts of electricity at the unsuspecting X-men. Luckily for Cecilia, her force field she had around her protected her.

"Shit!" whispered Forge angrily.

"Language, Forge," Beast reprimanded, "there is no need for such vile words!"

"Spare me the lectures later, Hank!" Forge said. "C'mon let's go!" he added as Berserker made himself known to them, along with Caliban.

"Get out of our home, X-men!" growled Caliban angrily.

"Oh believe me; we will be out of here once we've got Warren back with us!" Iceman said.

"Good luck with that!" spat Scaleface, and she proceeded to go in for the kill, with Thornn close behind her. Thornn jumped on top of Forge.

"AHHH!" Forge cried. "Stop! I'm allergic to cats!"

"Quit being a pussy, Forge!" Iceman yelled; making cat puns as he fired a blast of ice at Thornn, throwing her off of the mutant inventor. Beast leaped out of the way of another one of Berserker's blasts of electricity, jumping up onto the pipes to use them like monkey bars. He took advantage of the opportunity to jump down on top of Scaleface.

"SCALEFACE!" yelled Berserker, rushing to aid his lover.

"Don't worry about me, Berserker! Worry about the rest of them!" yelled Scaleface.

Berserker fired a bolt of electricity at Cecilia, who blocked it easily with the use of her own powers. She could only hope and pray that Cyclops, Storm and Marvel Girl were having better luck on their end with finding Warren.

* * *

**Sewers – East Side**

Over on Marvel Girl, Cyclops and Storm's end, they were still on the hunt for Warren. Suddenly, the yells of pain coming from somebody caught their attention.

"Warren," Marvel Girl breathed out.

"We'll get to him," Cyclops assured her softly. However, that was the moment someone quickly sped past them, shoving them to the ground all at once. Cyclops, Marvel Girl and Storm fell flat on their backs into the mucky sewer water.

"Oh God, what the hell was that?" Marvel Girl groaned.

"Don't know, Jean" Cyclops said, helping her and Storm up to their feet. However, that was the moment Marvel Girl suddenly felt a weird, rush of a sensation come over her mind, and suddenly, she felt as though she wasn't in the sewers underneath New York . . . she felt as though she was back in the car with her parents and siblings . . .

"_JOHN, LOOK OUT!" _

_The screeching of tires . . . the pelting of the rain, the car flipping over, flinging her and Madelyne and their brothers and sisters out of the van . . . blood splattering on the road . . . an overwhelming painful sensation filling her mind as the tears rolled down her face. . . _

Marvel Girl's breathing was hitching hard as she curled herself into a ball against a wall, tears rolling down her cheeks. Cyclops turned his attention over to his best friend, noticing she was down for the count.

"Jean," he said, going over to her and lightly slapping her face.

Jean's breathing was growing erratic as her complexion grew chalky. She looked as though she was about to be sick or have a panic attack. Sweat was beading on her forehead and tears began to pour down her face.

"Is she alright?" Storm asked.

"No, no she's not. Go on without us, Ororo," Cyclops insisted to her. "Go, see if you can find the others and get Warren out. Jean's down."

Storm nodded and ran off down the tunnels as Cyclops tried to calm Marvel Girl down. He pulled the redhead against his chest, pressing her ear close to him so she could hear his heartbeat after pulling her cowl off of her face.

"Shhh . . . Jean, Jean you're okay. It'll be alright," he tried soothing her. "Breathe . . ."

Jean continued to cry silently, her lower lip trembling as she sat there shaking in Scott's arms as he slowly rocked her in the effort to appease her. He proceeded to hum Linkin Park's "Iridescent" into her ear, hoping to calm her.

* * *

**Sewers – South Side **

Beast, Forge, Cecilia and Iceman ran down the tunnels of the sewer, searching for the other X-men members. Having just fought off Thornn, Berserker, Scaleface and Caliban, they knew that they had to regroup with everybody. Just as they thought they found what appeared to be the lair of the Morlocks, they ran smack right into Storm.

"Storm, where are Jean and Scott?" asked Hank.

"Jean's down for the count. She's not going to be on her feet for a while. She's in a panic attack," Storm explained.

"It's probably the handy work of the Morlock Warren once mentioned, the Beautiful Dreamer," whispered Beast in realization.

"C'mon let's get going so we can get the hell out of here, now," Iceman insisted.

"I'll second that," Forge said, and they took off towards the Morlock lair, where they ran right into Spyke again, but, he was not alone. He had Leech, Marrow, Feral, Beautiful Dreamer and Callisto with him. "Oh shit . . . did I mention I have a cat allergy?"

"No one cares, Forge!" Iceman rolled his eyes. "Where's Warren?" he added in the direction to the Morlocks.

"We won't say. Now get the fuck out of our home, X-men. You do not belong here," Callisto said coldly.

"We're not leaving without Warren. We don't abandon one of our own," Storm said strongly. That was when Beautiful Dreamer was about to approach Storm to control her, but, Storm knocked Sonya out with a bolt of lightning. "I've done the whole mind control thing. I'm not a fan," she said calmly.

"Alright, then have it your way," Callisto said. She ran over to Storm at super speed, intending on dueling her with Spyke's assistance. But, little did they realize, Storm could hold her own in a fight. Storm's electric blue eyes went white as the winds picked up around her. The Morlocks such as Leech and Marrow didn't even seem to be fighting back. Instead, they were rather looking over at Beast and Iceman, gesturing for them to come forward.

"We-We can show you where he is," Marrow insisted.

"Why?" Iceman asked, cynical.

"Because believe it or not, we still have loyalty to Warren," little Leech said with his high-pitched voice, his eyes sincere. Beast seemed to believe the boy, because he gestured for Iceman and Cecilia to follow him. They followed Marrow and Leech to where Warren was, chained to the wall and beaten, bleeding.

"Warren," Iceman breathed out, running over to the winged mutant. He and Beast released Warren from his shackles, their friend falling against the both of them in exhaustion and pain, coughing hard.

"Are you alright?" Cecilia asked him.

Warren shook his head. He was weak and completely spent.

"Let's get you out of here," Beast said softly as he and Iceman supported Warren out of the room. By the time they arrived back into the lair, they saw Storm had successfully disarmed Callisto and got her cousin to stand down.

"Storm?" asked Cecilia.

"We won . . . we're done here," Storm said quietly. She looked to her cousin. "Evan . . . I do not understand why you would take this side of the fight. But, I cannot choose for you."

Spyke nodded. "Same goes to you," he told her, extending his hand forward to shake Storm's.

"Okay . . . you win," Callisto groaned. "My defeat is uttered . . ." She reluctantly shook Storm's hand as a form of silent peace between the Morlocks and the X-men. "Go . . . go on home. You've humbled me."

"Thank you," Storm said quietly, and they proceeded to move out of the sewers, making their way up to the surface, but, not before bidding goodbye to Spyke, Leech and Marrow. When they made their way to the jet, they saw Scott already on there with Jean, his arms around her and her head on his chest, tears rolling down her face silently. Her complexion was still chalky and her eyes were distant, but, at least she wasn't trembling anymore. Scott seemed to be whispering soft, comforting words into her ear. Cecilia went over to Jean, leaning a hand in her hair.

"Is she okay?" she asked.

Scott shook his head as Hank and Bobby got Warren in the back of the plane. "No . . . she's . . ."

Cecilia brushed the tears off of Jean's face and sat beside her, leaning a hand onto her shoulder as Hank took the pilot's seat with Forge at his side in the cockpit. Finally, they were headed home after such a tumultuous night.

* * *

**Up next: Make Me Feel Better **


	10. Issue 30: Make Me Feel Better

_The X-men are faced with the challenging task every day of saving a world that hates and fears them. Unfortunately, aside from Magneto and his Brotherhood, there are others out there who believe mutants should be superior to humans. _

_The Morlocks are a group of mutant refuges who live underground, and believe that mutants need to be separate from those who live on the surface world. One of their former members includes Warren Worthington III, who had lived with them after his parents had thrown him out of his home. _

_For Warren though, he was quick to realize that the Morlocks' ideals didn't match up to his when they'd made plans to attack Worthington Manor. After realizing their intentions, Warren left. Now, seven years later, the Morlocks had kidnapped Warren as a misguided attempt at having their revenge. Among these mutants includes Ororo Munroe's younger cousin, Evan "Spyke" Daniels. _

_When the X-men go down to the sewers to save their friend, they are faced with an ultimate battle against the Morlocks. Unfortunately, this leads to Morlocks member, the Beautiful Dreamer, manipulating the mind of Jean Grey and making her remember the most traumatic memories she'd ever faced in her life. Fortunately, Ororo Munroe proved to successfully battle Morlocks leader, Callisto, in a duel, forcing a peace treaty between the Morlocks and the X-men. _

_Now, the X-men focus on recovering whichever way they can. However, the most concerning is the mental state of Jean, who is still traumatized upon being forced to relive her most painful memories._

* * *

**Issue 30: Make Me Feel Better**

**X-Corporation Tower – Convalescence Room **

To say that the night for Warren Worthington III had grown tumultuous was quite the understatement. Never did he ever think that he'd be kidnapped by former friends, kicked around, beaten and spat on in a sewer of all places.

Laying there in a hospital bed in the convalescence room after being examined by Hank and Cecilia, Warren was lucky to only have a few deep cuts and scratches that needed stitches, and four cracked ribs as well as two bruised ones. He knew that the Morlocks fought dirty. That was a given. He'd been witnessed to their extremist behavior back when he was sixteen. He couldn't believe that he thought he could reason with them, especially Berserker and Scaleface and Caliban. Though to be fair, reason was never their strongest suit; moreover, he learned on the plane ride home that Spyke was Ororo's cousin. He never thought in a million years that that would be the case.

Warren was on pain meds, not deep enough to make him sleep, but enough to numb the pain that he was in. Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was eleven-thirty at night, close to midnight. He knew he should probably sleep, but he couldn't bring himself to despite how tired his mind was. He'd wanted to pass out the whole time the Morlocks had stood there torturing him just for their own sick fun. However, to hear that Ororo had dueled Callisto and had won was quite the surprise. On a good day, nobody in their right mind would challenge Callisto like that. The fact that Storm did, and she won too, that was a surprise.

'Damn Storm . . . the fact that you can earn Callisto's respect like that, and you've barely been part of the X-men for two weeks . . . I commend you,' he thought, taking a deep breath, but he regretted it, as it caused his ribs to sting slightly. 'I just cannot believe with Callisto . . . that at age sixteen, I'd trusted her the way that I did at first . . .'

Closing his eyes, Warren decided now would be the time that he made the attempt to rest his exhausted body and mind. He knew that he'd be out of the Danger Room for a while at least until his ribs healed, and that Logan wasn't going to be very happy about it. That was especially since he was tough on all of them.

However, as he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but worry about and think about Jean, who had gotten hit hard by memories of her past thanks to Sonya forcing her to remember. Sonya must have done it unexpectedly, because according to Scott, Jean had gone pale and into a cold sweat and was crying. Obviously, she'd had a panic attack, which concerned Warren because he knew what an emotional person Jean was especially when it came to her past with her parents and siblings. Warren viewed Jean as his little sister, and hated the idea of anything or anyone hurting her.

"Jean," he said out loud, sighing heavily. "God . . . what she had to go through tonight. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone."

* * *

**Jean's Room **

For the past couple of hours, Jean was just sitting up on her bed, changed into her comfortable sleeping clothes but finding that she was hardly able to sleep. She'd tossed and turned around in her bed for about twenty minutes or so when she'd first lied down, trying to relax. But, her encounter with the Beautiful Dreamer down in the sewers had shaken her so badly she couldn't bring herself to.

'Why did this have to happen? Why me?' she thought as she tightened her arms around knees.

The tears threatened to creep down from her eyes again as she thought back to what the Beautiful Dreamer had made her _see_: being taken back to the time where she'd lost her family when she was six. She remembered back when she'd first awoke from her coma. At first, she'd been catatonic; the doctors had thought her to be autistic especially after she'd destroyed the hospital with telekinesis. She'd heard everything at once. It had terrified her deeply. She'd remained catatonic for about a day but, then she had started to speak.

However, the doctors at the hospital she was in had decided to send her to Mangold where she was briefly reunited with her identical twin sister, Madelyne. They both barely lasted two weeks in there before she was transferred to Morrison Mental Institution. Needing to hear the crazed thoughts of so many people had caused her powers to get so screwed up. She knew that if the professor hadn't placed mental blocks on her telepathy and telekinesis, there was no possibility she'd be able to control it. She would have gone insane.

Jean's tears finally spilled over as she got up to just stand outside on the balcony. She shook her head to try and clear it.

'I can't believe how out of control I was back there,' she thought as tears poured down from her eyes. 'I-I _have _to be in control. After so many years of not having any, now is my opportunity to be in control of my powers. I-I can't believe that I was so weak back there.'

She soon enough felt Scott's presence behind her.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No," she said to him. "It's just . . . I couldn't believe that I was so out of control from my body like that earlier. I-I need to get it back."

"You've got it back," Scott assured her, going over to Jean to rub her shoulders comfortingly.

"Now . . . but when I was down there in the sewer, I-I'd felt so out of it . . . I just . . . I just thought after I was out of the mental hospital that that wouldn't happen again. If the professor hadn't blocked my powers, I would've lost my sanity, no doubt," Jean explained, the tears rolling down her face. She turned her head into Scott's chest. She felt him slowly rocking her to appease her.

"Hey, easy . . . we all slip up and make mistakes. That's why we're here. We're here to learn to get in control and make sure that that doesn't happen," Scott assured her.

"Yeah, but this wasn't me. It-It was somebody else who got into my head," Jean said, sniffling. "I-I don't like that feeling . . . it makes me feel as though I cannot trust anybody . . ."

"Then trust me," Scott told her, stroking her hair.

Jean just nodded her head. "You know . . . before I'd got admitted into a mental hospital, when I first woke from my coma, the doctors at first misdiagnosed me as autistic. I wasn't speaking at all that first day when I awoke. I wasn't responding to anything at all. When I'd finally spoken, it was twenty-four hours later, but part of the reason why I first didn't speak was because my powers had flared so badly. I'd demolished my hospital room into nothing but oblivion.

"After I'd started talking asking where my brothers and sisters were, the hospital had already decided to place me in Mangold. And then I saw my identical twin there . . . I'd honestly felt so relieved that I wasn't alone. But then we got separated and I was sent to Morrison . . . hearing everything in there, it scared the shit out of me; I had never felt so alone, because at least in Mangold I had had my sister at my side," she sobbed as Scott squeezed his arms around her a little bit tighter.

"Shhhh . . . it's gonna be okay. Jean, I know it's hard," Scott whispered. He continued to just stand there, holding her tightly against him as he rocked her gently, stroking her hair to comfort her. He knew how Jean felt.

He'd been separated from his own brother too. The last that he had heard from his little brother, Alex's foster parents were getting harassed by neighbors for having a mutant for a son. The whole situation for Alex was horrible; meanwhile, Scott was living in X-Corporation Tower which was owned by Tony Stark. But that didn't mean Scott had a silver spoon in his mouth by any means. He had to work for everything and he had to earn everything, including his future job position.

"Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" he offered Jean.

Jean nodded into his chest. She felt Scott kissing the top of her head as he guided her back over to bed. He laid her on top of the sheets and climbed into the bed beside her, his arms encircled around her in a comforting embrace, stroking her long, red hair.

"It's going to be okay," he repeated her to her gently as Jean's breathing slowed. Jean curled her head further into Scott's chest, truly believing his words as he caressed her hair.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Kitchen **

'Wow . . . mutants in the sewers. _Now _I've seen it all,' thought Bobby Drake as he sat up at the kitchen table in X-Corporation. Having found it hard to sleep after witnessing everything that had happened down in the Morlock tunnels, he'd thought that maybe a midnight snack of milk and cookies could help.

As he sat there, nibbling at an Oreo, his thoughts drifted to the conversation they had had with Storm's cousin, Spyke. The idea that Ororo's cousin had run away from home because of his mutation made Bobby's chest ache. After his own parents had found out about is mutation, he'd considered running away. It had been the most humiliating experience of his life when his parents had learned of his mutation. However, he knew he'd have to confront his parents and face them eventually. That didn't mean he was looking forward to the idea of having that conversation with his family.

As far as Bobby knew, his family was slowly beginning to sever communications with him. He couldn't remember the last time they had spoken on the phone and actually had a deep conversation. Now, the only communication that he was having with his parents was through text messages. It only added to the feelings of loneliness that settled there.

Yes, he knew that he had friends who could act as family. But the idea of his blood-related family disowning him hurt. He wasn't sure if he was even close to being disowned. His parents were being so ambiguous that it was leaving him in a state of confusion.

As Bobby sat there, he could feel the presence of Storm near him. Even though Storm had only been part of the X-men for a short while, as far as Bobby and Jean and Scott were concerned, she was part of the family.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked him softly as she pulled up a chair.

"Yeah," Bobby whispered. "I just – I was thinking about Spyke, your cousin."

"Quite ironic we were thinking the same thing," Ororo said sadly. "I never knew that he was a mutant. Ever. I did however know my aunt and uncle were hard on him growing up."

"Can't be any harder than my parents," Bobby whispered bitterly, as though the words were poison on his tongue. "I'm convinced my parents hate me."

"I'm sure that they don't," Ororo said quietly.

"No, you don't know my family, Storm," Bobby said quietly as his eyes misted over with unshed tears. "So, just do me a favor . . . be there for Spyke, because whether he wants to admit it or not, he needs you."

"Was already planning on that, Bobby," Ororo said quietly, reaching over to squeeze his hand in her own as they sat there in solemn silence together.

* * *

**The Brotherhood House – Anna-Marie's Room **

Over the course of the past four months or so, ever since the X-men have exposed themselves to the world, life for Anna-Marie D'Ancanto seemingly felt lonelier as time went on. Sitting up in her bedroom in the Brotherhood House, alone with just Mystique acting as her surrogate, adoptive mother, she suddenly missed the house being full. Mystique's girlfriend/partner, Destiny, spent many nights there frequently.

According to Mystique, Magneto who had founded the Brotherhood was one step closer to conquering the island of Genosha, which he was going to make into a safe haven of sorts. While Anna-Marie was more than happy to have the thought of having a safe place to live, she was also still hesitant about what it was that she was doing. According to Mystique, her 'most important mission of her life' was coming right around the corner, sooner than she could ever imagine. She understood that the Brotherhood's prison transfer was right around the corner. If Mystique meant that, then that meant Raven was putting a lot of faith in her.

Anna-Marie laid there on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, she heard the front door open. That meant Mystique was back.

"Mamma?" Rogue asked quietly.

"I'm home, Anna-Marie," Raven said, coming up the stairs to sit with her adoptive 'daughter.' "Hello, dear," she said. "How're you doing?"

"Ah'm doing okay," Anna-Marie said.

"Well, Rogue, as you know, the Brotherhood is about to get transferred to Rikers. It'll be happening sooner than we all think, and by that, I mean exactly a week from now," Raven told her surrogate daughter. "When the time comes, you will know, because that's the time that I am going to need you the most, Anna-Marie."

"Of course, Mama," the meek teenager said. She was about to turn seventeen in about a month from now, and she knew that if Mystique wanted her for something, then it must've been something important.

Raven didn't tell her a lot, but she kept telling Anna-Marie she'd know when the time came. What that meant exactly, the teen wasn't quite sure.

But she did know she wanted nothing more than please Raven, because she felt she owed Mystique something in return for taking her in. Nevertheless, that did not mean that the naïve teenager didn't have her hesitations about everything that she did. However, she was slowly but surely starting to throw her hesitation out the window as she slowly grew more confident. She was becoming a lot less meek and becoming more herself again: sassy, confident and flirtatious, because Raven had been helping her boost her self-esteem again.

"Now, I want to continue with your training tomorrow, because soon enough, the day will come, and the world will know of the Brotherhood's _rogue _recruit," Mystique said with a confident smile on her face. She felt nothing but pride in her 'daughter,' because she watched over the course of five months as Rogue grew stronger and tougher. "But, so far, I'm proud of what you'd managed to accomplish, Rogue."

"Thank you," Anna-Marie replied around a smile.

* * *

**Up next: The Unstoppable Juggernaut **


	11. Issue 31: The Unstoppable Juggernaut

_The X-men were brought together by Tony Stark and Charles Xavier in order to secure their futures, but over the course of the past few months, they've begun the mission of saving a world that hates and fears them. _

_After having recruited their newest members Ororo Munroe and Cecilia Reyes, the X-men encountered a group an underground group of mutants called the Morlocks, who had kidnapped Warren as a form of misguided revenge against him for leaving._

_Now, nearly a week later, the X-men are finding that they are going back to work, with Scott, Jean, Bobby and Ororo beginning to take into consideration what is to come for their future as potential employees of X-Corporation. Additionally to this, Raven "Mystique" Darkholm is planning to put a plan into action with the help of her adoptive daughter, Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto._

* * *

**Issue 31: The Unstoppable Juggernaut**

**Sheffield, Vermont **

"Proudstar, turn that crap off, will ya? There's only so much of the Nick Jonas I can take on this God forsaken trip!"

"Change your attitude, Logan. We're just on the road to New York. Carol's in Pennsylvania transporting the Brotherhood to Rikers. This is the last prisoner we've gotta transfer over there into solitary confinement. A couple more hours, and you and Carol can go back home and have all the fun you two want," thirty-two-year-old John Proudstar assured Logan.

"No, actually, John, I sympathize with Logan greatly. I've never understood your fetish for early 2000's pop music and boy bands," twenty-seven-year-old James Proudstar told his older brother. "Besides, why the three of us is the question?"

"Because the others are babysitting the prisoners back at Alpha Flight; this guy here would kill them all if they transferred him out," John explained. He breathed out a sigh. Needing to transfer mutant prisoners to Rikers was a challenge, considering that the prisoners ranged in class levels and they were all equally dangerous. But, this prisoner was ten times more hazardous than any omega-level mutant that they had to transfer, considering he wasn't a mutant at all. However, it was a relief to John, James and Logan that Alpha Flight was in partnership with X-Corporation and Stark Industries, because that meant having access to high-end technology and weapons that most members of the US military would kill for.

"Believe me, I've read the guy's file. He's pretty screwed up considering his history, and the fact that he's so powerful. I don't know what's more fucked up. The fact that this shithead is not a mutant, or the fact that his powers stem from _magic _of all things in the world," Logan growled. "I'd almost take huntin' down Victor Creed. That son of a bitch finds new ways to piss me off every damn day!"

"I know, Logan, but put all pettiness aside for Sabretooth. This Cain Marko fellow is more important to get out of here," John said as he continued to drive the truck along the roads of Vermont.

"This is hardly fair! Carol gets the lightweight work!" James groaned as he rubbed his temples. "Now, turn that shit off, will you? If I hear anymore of Nick Jonas' "Jealous", I'm going to jump out a window!"

"James, for the love of God, quit bitching," said John as he drove towards New York. "Besides, we can't afford to lose this guy. We lost Black Tom Cassidy about a year ago; God only knows where that guy is. But, I'm telling you, his brother, Sean Cassidy, most definitely has a bone to pick with him."

"Of course . . . it is bad enough Black Tom and Marko became such good buddies. I'm still shocked we haven't gotten Sabretooth into our custody yet," James pointed out to his brother.

"Believe me, I want to get Victor Creed too, but there's no way we can possibly track him. He's unpredictable."

"Yeah, but, John, I swear to God the next time I get a whiff of him, I'll let you know." Logan bared his claws to show that he was more than willing to stab Victor Creed a thousand times over. "And it shouldn't be too hard. He stinks!"

"And believe me, Logan; if he was close by, I would be able to sense it. I can track mutants who are around the general area rather recently," John reminded his brother and his partner.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Proudstar," Logan said around a growl. "But, patience was never my strong suit, pal."

"Yeah, but, Carol helped you develop some patience. And I am pretty sure training those kids at X-Corporation has rubbed off on you too, because you seem softer than usual," James quipped.

"Oh please, Warpath!" Logan rolled his eyes. "Just because I'm fond of Slim Summers and Jeannie Grey doesn't mean I am soft on those two! Do you think I will compromise my values?"

"Of course not." John shook his head. Working with his brother and his partner was something that took quite a bit out of John. Logan and Carol were two of his closest friends in Alpha Flight. However, having Carol Danvers and Logan Howlett as your two closest friends meant needing to deal with the two of them having quite a bit of attitude. They were both hard-as-nails and clashed constantly, but, they also had a connection between the two of them that made them fall in love with one another.

As John continued to drive down the highway of Vermont with James and Logan guarding the cargo that was holding their prisoner, Cain Marko, he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, humming to "Cake by the Ocean." He turned the volume up slightly. If Logan and his brother wanted to complain in the back of the van about his musical taste, they could go and suck it. The drive for the most part was smooth, until suddenly, they hit a pothole. But, it wasn't just one pothole. It was one after another.

"John?" James asked his brother, standing up to go and lean over the driver's seat.

"I don't know," John informed him.

Suddenly, that was when they heard the sound of the metal chains on Cain Marko's cargo which was transporting him could be heard being wrestled off by some sort of powerful source.

"Magneto!" growled Logan, pulling his Wolverine cowl up over his face, his jaw clenched.

"Easy Logan . . . we don't need you and James running into the fray," John said sternly. Being James' older brother, John was often seen as the more mature one and was more disciplined. He drove over another pothole, which caused the van to jerk hard. That in combination with the magnetic interference wasn't helping their case. Clearly, this was all set up in advance by Magneto himself. John couldn't help but groan in frustration. He could almost sense that Logan and James wanted to run in like bats out of hell. They were both hot-headed and stubborn equally.

Finally, when they hit the last pothole in the road; that was the moment they felt the van flip over in the middle of the road. The glass from the windows broke over their prone bodies as the car flipped.

"Oh crap!" Logan groaned. "Ya guys alright?"

"Super!" James gave Logan the thumbs up weakly. However, the chains on Marko's containment broke, and the large, towering, muscular man who could give Bruce Banner – The Incredible Hulk – a run for his money, kicked his way out and ripped open his exit.

"FUCK!" Logan shouted. "GODDAMMIT CAIN!"

"MY NAME IS NOT CAIN!" Marko yelled, grabbing the Wolverine by his head and tossing him out of the vehicle like he weighed nothing. "I'M THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH!" He stomped his way out of the van, going along his way to terrorize whatever town in the state of Vermont that he desired.

"Dammit . . . we better call for backup!" John groaned. "Logan, call the X-men!"

"Those kids aren't ready for this yet!" Logan said as he pushed himself off the pavement, pulling glass out of his skin.

"Well, make them ready!" James said. "Because there is no way I am taking this guy on my own!"

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Tony Stark's Office **

"Alright, so, Warren, Hank, Cecilia . . . I see that the three of you are settled into your new positions already," Tony said.

"Yes," Warren said. "Thankfully, my employees over at Stark Pharmaceuticals give me the respect as their new CEO. And I can also tell you that Bruce Banner hasn't had any temper tantrums in the workplace."

"Good to know," Tony said. He turned to Scott, Jean, Bobby and Ororo, as well as Forge. "Alright, so, Scott, as far as you go, I already know when you graduate from college that I would want to place you in charge of the weapons manufacturing department of Stark Industries . . . you already told me that you're considering a career in engineering. I might as well put you in the position where you can manufacture weapons for the military. And Jean, I know for a fact after you graduate from med school that I am going to put you in a position to do research for Stark Pharmaceuticals; both you and Cecilia."

Jean and Scott both nodded. The fact that they were already being involved in the business meetings Tony had with the professor, Hank and Warren was something that surprised them. However, they also knew that since Tony was the one who had their futures secured.

"Alright, Ororo, Bobby, the two of you take your time, as far as figuring what kind of position the two of you would want to be in," Tony said. "Forge, you're content with being our engineer here?"

"Yes," Forge said.

"Okay, so, Hank, Warren, how are we doing over at Stark Pharmaceuticals?" asked Tony.

"The mutant-friendly allergy medicine is complete," Hank said. "We're just waiting for someone who would be willing to test it."

"Can you test it on me when I'm around cats?" Forge asked, still traumatized from his experience dealing with Thornn when they'd fought the Morlocks a week prior.

"Forge, can you stop reminding us?" Warren asked with a groan, leaning his head back. "I swear to God . . . I'm still recovering here! Do you know how many Danger Room sessions I'd missed out on?! Last I checked I still have cracked ribs that are healing!" He gestured to his ribs which were wrapped in gauze.

"Warren, we all know. Besides, Tony, when's this gonna end? It's lunch time, I'm hungry! It's Saturday!" Bobby said. Jean elbowed him hard in the ribs to shut him up.

"Can you take something seriously for two minutes, Bobby?" she asked him, exasperated.

"For the love of all things holy, Bobby, quit complaining!" Scott said. "Okay? We may not have a Danger Room session today, but, that's because Logan and Ms. Danvers are not having fun! They're transferring the Brotherhood to Rikers Island right now! So therefore, quit it!"

"Good point." Bobby nodded. However, Jean could pick up on his thoughts of, 'I really shouldn't be complaining . . . Logan and Carol are probably having the crappiest Saturday ever right now. But, what I can say is that I am _not _looking forward to my fifteenth birthday which is coming up. Needing to spend it with my parents and grandparents and brother . . . after having spent Hanukkah and Christmas with them and those holidays being a complete disaster. Why should I be punished just because I'm a mutant? What did I do that was so bad?'

Jean felt a pang hit her chest. She knew that Bobby's family situation wasn't getting any better. It was almost as though he had to defend himself from his own family, and her heart broke for him. She understood that Bobby hid his troubles behind being a jokester. The fact that he wasn't looking forward to spending his fifteenth birthday with his family was something that Jean found to be the saddest thing.

"Alright everyone, you're free. Warren, Hank, the both of you, get back to work," Professor Xavier told them. That was when Pepper walked into the room.

"Tony, you've got a call on the emergency line," she informed them. "It's Alpha Flight."

Tony nodded and went around his desk to take the call. When he picked up, the holographic image of Logan Howlett and John and James Proudstar appeared. All three looked as though they had been through two hundred rounds in a boxing ring and then hit by a truck. Logan had deep bruises that were in the process of fading, while John and James were picking pieces of glass out of their skin.

"Logan!" Jean gasped, her hand coming over her mouth in shock. Everyone else looked as surprised as she did that the Wolverine, their friend and teacher, was that severely injured. "What _happened _to you?"

"_Hey Jeannie . . . don't worry, it's nothing that a couple hours of rest and a cold beer couldn't fix for me, darlin'," _Logan told her to reassure her. _"Cool yer jets, kiddo. But Chuck, Alpha Flight's gonna need the X-men's help on this." _

"What is it?" Charles asked wearily.

"_It's the Juggernaut, sir. He's loose," _John Proudstar said grimly.

* * *

**Woodstock, Vermont **

"OUTTA MY WAY, YOU PUNY RUNTS!" shouted the booming voice of the towering Juggernaut as he made his way through the town of Woodstock. His overly large feet pounded down on the streets, leaving large dents as he passed through. He picked up two cars that were containing civilians, tossing them straight into a building.

"Holy crap! Who is that?" someone shouted.

"Forget about _whom! _Let's talk about _what?_" someone else said in a panicked voice.

"DO YOU WANNA KNOW WHO I AM? I'M THE JUGGERNAUT, YOU WEAKLINGS!" Cain Marko roared with laughter as police officers attempted to stop him by firing bullets. "HAHA THAT TICKLES!" Marko reached forward and grabbed two of the cops who were attempting to stop him using guns. He lifted them with one hand and threw them across the concrete as though they were nothing more than a football to him. He kicked the police cars out of his way as he continued to stomp on forward in glee. He noticed the news crew that was there, recording his victorious escape from Alpha Flight for all to see.

"YOU SEE, CHARLIE? YOU SEE?! I AM UNSTOPPABLE!" Cain cried joyously. He punched his fists into several buildings, bricks tumbling down and civilians falling with the houses, injured. He lifted up several traffic lights, using them as baseball bats to slam into several more police cars. Finally, after five years of being trapped in captivity with Alpha Flight, Cain Marko was finally free.

* * *

**Skies over Vermont – The Blackbird**

Up in the Blackbird, the X-men, including Cecilia Reyes and Forge as well as Professor Charles Xavier, James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Harold "Happy" Hogan, and Tony Stark, soared over the skies of the state of Vermont. For Tony and the professor, they knew that when Alpha Flight had called for help with the Juggernaut, that the X-men were going to be in for the ultimate challenge of their lifetime. Even Warren knew from the stories that the professor had told him, Beast and Forge. Scott was piloting the jet for the first time, due to the fact that he was working towards getting a license to pilot planes. Rhodey was observing him, making sure that Scott knew what it was that he was doing.

"So, Professor, Logan was pretty cryptic with his message over the emergency line. What exactly are we dealing with? Who is the Juggernaut?" asked Ororo.

"Ororo, kid, I wish I could say that the Juggernaut is a fancy strip club here in the state of Vermont, but that would be wishful thinking," Tony said, sounding regretful. Pepper elbowed him in the ribs hard. "Ow!"

"Would you stop it with the jokes?" Pepper cried out, her eyes wide. "Are you out of your freaking mind?!"

"Pepper is right, Tony," Xavier said, a slight glare on his face. "Just to debrief you all, the Juggernaut is more powerful than any mutant I have come across, including my own son, David. He is highly strong, muscular, and can give the Incredible Hulk a run for his money. And I would know personally, because the Juggernaut, Cain Marko, is my older step-brother."

"Wait, Cain? Like in the _Bible, _Cain who killed his brother Abel out of resentment?" asked Bobby. Everyone gave him an odd look. "Haven't you guys been to Sunday School?"

"I have," said Jean, having been raised Catholic. "It's just been a while, that's all."

"But, how exactly did he get that kind of power?" asked Scott.

"God only knows," Rhodey whispered. "But I can tell you, as a military pilot, I have seen a lot of weird stuff in my lifetime. Cain is by far the most bizarre."

"Indeed. Nonetheless, all I can tell you is Curt Marko, Cain's father, was actually my father's cousin and ex-business partner. However, I did not realize until years later that Curt had blackmailed my mother into divorcing my father so that he could have my mother's money. This was because my mother was the heiress to a highly successful pharmaceutical company. However, Curt was an alcoholic and as a result, he'd beat my mother, and he was additionally highly abusive towards Cain and I. However, on Cain, Curt was the hardest on when it came to the abuse that we both received.

"Eventually, when I was fourteen and Cain was seventeen, Curt threw Cain out of the house and shipped him off to a military academy in Europe. For me, at that age, the abuse from Curt became too much, and I'd ended up running away from home. Luckily, my biological father allowed me to live with him for the rest of my high school years. Sometime when I was still in Oxford and Tony's father approached me about us going into business together, Cain somehow found a ruby which granted him his magical-based powers. I do not know where he got it or how he got it. His powers being based in magic means he makes the impossible possible.

"I've managed to take him down five years ago, but it was not easy. It meant needing to perform a surging psychic attack on him in effort to knock him out . . . it was probably the first time I used my powers in an act that was less than peaceful. But, if I had not, he very well could have killed me; in fact, he was about to." Xavier found that it was hard to hold back his emotions as he told the tale of how the Juggernaut came to be. It was one of the most painful experiences that he had to go through in life, and now, his X-men were about to come face to face with Cain and the unstoppable force that gave him such raw power.

The X-men sat there taking it all in. The fact that Xavier himself had been abused by a family member told Scott part of the reason why he had taken him in. It was because Xavier had felt a kindred spirit between the two of them. Scott gripped the steering wheel on the jet a little bit harder as he remembered his last foster father, Jack Winters, who would beat him if he did not use his powers to commit petty crimes for him. They soon enough were in Woodstock, and when they looked down below, they could see the large, towering man known as the Juggernaut causing obliteration to the town.

"Holy shit," Happy whispered, shaking his head.

"Wow . . . he did all this?" asked Bobby in shock. He was mystified that someone could cause so much destruction.

"Indeed, Bobby. The only objective you all have is to knock the helmet that he is wearing off of him, because his helmet blocks out all psychic powers," Xavier explained.

"Piece of cake," Warren said, though he was lying through his teeth.

"Alright, X-men, you have your objectives," Scott announced, taking charge of the situation. He looked to Rhodey. "Rhodey, take the controls." He got up out of his seat and got the plane on autopilot.

"I have been in contact with Thunderbird and Wolverine. They're minutes away from our location. Henry, Cecilia; Forge, protect the civilians. Jean, Scott, Bobby, Warren; Ororo, you know what to do. Tony, get the news crew away from the area," Xavier told them.

* * *

**Woodstock, Vermont **

Down below in the town of Woodstock, the Juggernaut continued to cause a mass destruction, using his full power to its advantage as he ripped apart the roads. It was no wonder why he was supposed to get his own cell in Rikers Island Prison that would be able to contain him and his power.

Just as Juggernaut was about to lift up a large truck to smash down into the roads, a single optic blast hit him in the back. The towering, muscular man turned to see the X-men coming his way, Cyclops' hand on his visor.

"OH SHIT! CHARLIE I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE BRINGING YOUR PETS! HOW CUTE IS THIS!" Cain said, laughing, his voice booming. "HOW CONVENIENT? I JUST HAPPEN TO BE HUNGRY!"

"You're hungry? How about I tell you the main course? How would you like a sno-cone . . . Iceman style?" suggested Iceman who was in his full organic ice form, sliding down on a path of ice he'd created. However, before he could get close to Juggernaut to fire a blast of ice his way, the Juggernaut grabbed him and tossed him like he weighed nothing.

"Got you, Bobby!" Marvel Girl said, catching him with her telekinesis.

"Yeah, okay, I think that we underestimated just how hard this would be," Iceman said after Marvel Girl set him down on his feet.

"Oh really? You _think?_" asked Marvel Girl sarcastically.

"Okay, team; let's focus on the mission here. We need to get that helmet off of him. Warren, give me a lift," Cyclops said.

"On it, Scottie," Angel said, grabbing Cyclops' wrist and taking off into the air.

"Storm, we can use a couple of F5's right about now," Cyclops announced.

"That can be arranged." Storm's blue eyes glowed bright white as she used her powers to manipulate the winds around them to form tow F5 tornadoes, the lightning crackling in the skies.

"Jean . . . have you been practicing?" Cyclops asked her.

"Yes," Marvel Girl said confidently.

"Okay, hold him in place . . . see how long you can keep hold of him."

"On it." Marvel Girl began concentrating her telekinesis right on the Juggernaut, holding him in a telekinetic hold, but, just simply doing that was proving to be a challenge on the psychic. Cyclops put his visor on the highest setting, firing an optic blast at the Juggernaut in an effort to knock his helmet off of his head. Iceman proceeded to try and freeze Cain in place, but, Marko managed to break free of the ice that Iceman had formed around him.

As the X-men made the attempt at keeping Cain away from the civilians, Tony, Cecilia, Beast, Forge and Professor Xavier were making the attempt at keeping the civilians out of the way.

"Everybody out of here!" shouted Cecilia, directing everyone out of the way.

"How do you think the others are holding up?" asked Forge.

"All I hope is that they are doing okay," Beast said anxiously as he moved young children out of the way. The human civilians that were there didn't even seem to care that Beast was the one getting their children to safety. They were more terrified of what Marko was doing in that moment in time destroying half the town of Woodstock. Just as they were clearing out the last of the civilians, Thunderbird, Warpath and Wolverine arrived.

"About time you guys showed up!" Tony said to them.

"Yeah, we know," Thunderbird said. "I haven't seen anything like this in five years."

"Well to be fair, you've had Cain in your custody for the past five years," said Professor Xavier.

"Alright, looks like my students are going to need backup," Wolverine noted. "I'm going in there."

"Careful, Wolverine. The last thing we need is Carol suing us," Warpath said.

Wolverine rolled his eyes, running into the fray. He noticed that Cyclops and Marvel Girl had taken cover behind a demolished house, still trying to get the Juggernaut's helmet off his head.

"KIDS!" Wolverine shouted, running towards Cyclops and Marvel Girl.

"About time you showed up, Logan," Cyclops said, still firing with precision.

"Jeannie, remember, Fastball Special, just like we've practiced, and One-Eye, I think we should make it _extra _special," Wolverine told them, gesturing for them to come out of their hiding place.

"Are you sure about this?" Cyclops sounded uncertain that they should be doing that.

"Positive," Wolverine told them. Marvel Girl readied her telekinesis to lift him up, flinging him towards Cain Marko while Cyclops gave him a boost with a single optic blast. "HHHHHRRRR!" he growled out; his claws popped out as he prepared to attack. However, despite Storm's F5's and Angel and Iceman making the attempts at distractions, Juggernaut managed to knock Wolverine backwards onto the pavement. Despite this, Wolverine got himself back up and onto his feet, running in like a bat out of hell. However, Juggernaut was proving to be stronger than all of them, knocking everyone backwards and grabbing Angel by his wings, tossing him.

"WARREN!" Marvel Girl screamed out, catching him and lowering him down. She noticed his wings to be at an odd angle. Clearly, damage had been done. She rushed over to him. "GUYS, WAR'S DOWN!" she shouted, kneeling beside him to examine his wings which obviously had fractures. Angel groaned in pain as she turned him over onto his stomach.

Cyclops proceeded to step in as Juggernaut said, "YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?! I AM RAW POWER!"

"Oh yeah, you want it raw, tough guy? Well, then take it, _RAW!_" Cyclops yelled. He ripped his visor off his face, opening his eyes to allow his concussive optic blasts to hit Juggernaut right in the face. Juggernaut tried to push forward, but, despite his efforts, his helmet came off of his head as he tried to fight against Cyclops' power. Finally, when Cyclops felt his power drain, he shut his eyes, allowing the professor to perform a surging psychic attack on the Unstoppable Juggernaut. Before they knew it, Cain was down for the count, falling to the ground as he collapsed.

"Okay, I hope we _never _have to do that again!" Iceman said.

"Warren's hurt pretty bad, guys; we're going to need to evac," Marvel Girl announced as Cyclops and Wolverine came over. Cyclops and Wolverine leaned down, grabbing Angel by the arms to support him up to his feet so that they could get him onto the jet. Angel hissed in pain.

"Easy, Wings," Wolverine whispered as they got Angel onto the jet in the medical bay where Cecilia and Beast were awaiting. After settling Angel down in the med bay in the back of the jet, they went to regroup with the others.

"Alright, let's get him packed up so we can continue with getting him to Rikers," said Thunderbird.

"After a mission such as this, I could use a cold beer," Warpath said.

"I'll second that, bub," Wolverine said around a wolfish grin.

"But, guys, I'm starting to think that something is not adding up," said Thunderbird. "I mean, Magneto releases Juggernaut on us to attack, on the same day that we are transferring . . ."

"The Brotherhood," Warpath whispered in realization. "OH SHIT!" he shouted, rushing off and pulling his cellphone out.

"What's he panicking about?" asked Marvel Girl.

"Carol's in charge of transferring the Brotherhood to Rikers . . . if this is a set-up . . ." Wolverine whispered, suddenly feeling his stomach flip with sickness as he worried about his girlfriend. Warpath turned to them.

"She's not answering her phone! We better track her location," he informed them.

* * *

**Up next: Memory Musings**

**A/N: **

**Tuesday night, I got my Dark Phoenix Blu-Ray, watched the movie a second time, and I fell in love with it all over again. There were so many scenes where my eyes just kept tearing up because it was just as I remembered it to be from the first time I saw it months ago. **


	12. Issue 32: Memory Musings

_The X-men fight every day for peace in a world that hates and fears them, and doesn't want them part of it. After having battled the underground mutants, the Morlocks, in order to rescue their friend and teammate, Warren "Angel" Worthington III, the X-men once again found a week later that they were called to be back in duty. _

_As they were beginning to discuss their futures as employees of X-Corporation, the X-men were called by Logan "Wolverine" Howlett, James "Warpath" Proudstar, and John "Thunderbird" Proudstar in order to fight their toughest battle yet. _

_This battle consisted of a fight against Professor Charles Xavier's abusive older step-brother, Cain "Juggernaut" Marko, who had escaped Alpha Flight's custody as a result of Magneto helping him. The X-men have successfully fought the Unstoppable Juggernaut, but they were met with the startling realization that it was all a potential set-up for what Magneto and his Brotherhood are truly planning. They gave a warning call to Logan's girlfriend, Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers who is in charge of transporting the Brotherhood to Rikers Island. However, they were horrified to learn that Carol wasn't answering to their phone call._

* * *

**Issue 32: Memory Musings **

**Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Twenty-Five Minutes Ago **

In the city of Philadelphia, Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers was driving a large truck which was transporting the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. More than anything, she was glad that the Brotherhood's prison transfer was happening that day. She knew that her boyfriend, John and James were in the process of transporting Cain Marko – The Juggernaut to Rikers. More than anything, after this was all over, Carol was more than ready to meet up with Logan after their day was over and share a nice, hot bath.

'At least after all this is done, we won't have to deal with the Brotherhood anymore any time soon; unless that is, they plan any more surprises,' she thought as she focused on driving the cargo.

As Carol continued to drive the truck through Philly, her thoughts traveled to Logan. She wondered how he, John and James were doing. However, she was also thinking of the status of her and Logan's relationship. Sure, she liked where it was at currently, but, in the long-run for the future, she didn't know. For now, her relationship with Logan was comfortable and in a really good spot.

Carol closed her eyes briefly, letting out a sigh. She could hear the Brotherhood making quite the scene in the back of the truck, considering that they were not at all happy that they were about to get transferred to an actual prison. She ran her fingers through her short blonde hair as she sat through the traffic of Philly. More than anything, she hated driving through traffic. Suddenly, she wished that her boyfriend could be there in the car ride with her. She hated doing stuff like this by herself; at least if Logan were with her, he'd make it feel a little more exciting and interesting. Plus, it could not help that her partner was far too quiet for her taste.

As Carol continued to sit there in traffic, she looked to her partner who was with her, Jessica Drew, who had called unexpectedly offering to swing by and help with transferring the Brotherhood. It was quite the surprise, considering Jessica had been so busy with work. Jessica had retired from working with Alpha Flight in order to focus on her work as a private investigator.

"Okay, Jess, you're too quiet, something's with you," Carol said. "What's up? I get it, Nick Fury has got you working around the clock, but, you're not normally this quiet."

Suddenly, that was when Carol noticed a change in her friend, whose eyes went from warm brown to a mysterious yellow, and her skin changed to blue. Before Carol could put up a shielding to defend herself, Mystique gave her a roundhouse kick in the shoulder, causing her to jerk to the side as she slammed into the side door. That was when Carol noticed something else, just as Mystique shouted, "NOW ROGUE!"

Anna-Marie D'Ancanto came towards the driver's seat with her gloves pulled off, and before Carol knew it, Rogue latched onto her. The minute the rogue mutant teen's hands came in contact with the prone flash of her face, she could feel her energy starting to drain as she grew weak and dizzy. Her hands came off the steering wheel in shock as she lost control of the vehicle. She felt intense fear spiking in her, but, Anna-Marie was a lot more scared than Carol in that moment.

"Mama! Mama, what's happening?! Ah-Ah wanna let go!" she said.

"No, you can't Rogue! You need to hold on!" Mystique yelled just as Victor Creed, Sabretooth, broke into the truck. Together, Raven and Sabretooth proceeded to break out the members of the Brotherhood one by one.

"Mama, Ah'm scared!" Rogue cried out. She wanted nothing more than to let go as she felt a surging amount of power flowing through her. She felt her body levitating off the ground as an unbelievable amount of strength flowed through her.

"No, Rogue, do not let go!" Mystique demanded. "We're almost done!"

Despite her fear, Anna-Marie continued to keep her grip on Ms. Marvel, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt Carol weakening underneath her grasp. Just as the Brotherhood jumped out of the vehicle, that was the moment Rogue let go of Carol and jumped out. However, it was just in time before the vehicle crashed right into a tree nearby. Carol's unconscious form slammed into the steering wheel, causing her head to smash into the glass window pane. Glass broke into her scalp as blood ran down the side of her face. Her nose bled freely; her eyes were closed as her breathing grew weaker and weaker. Wanda Maximoff came over to Rogue.

"Hey, hey, you alright?" asked Wanda to Rogue.

Rogue shook her head. "Ah-Ah've never felt strength like that before," she admitted.

"Wait, how long did you exactly hold on?" Wanda asked in worry as Sabretooth and Mystique came over.

"I told her to keep holding on," Raven said simply. "Come on, Magneto's on his way, we're all meeting with him, come on."

Wanda and Rogue briefly cast a glance at Carol Danvers, who was sitting in the vehicle unconscious with her body slumped against the steering wheel. However, Pietro was quick to move over to them.

"C'mon, sis, we gotta get out of here," Pietro said to his twin.

Wanda breathed out a sigh. As she looked over at Rogue, she couldn't help but feel a little bad. However, she also understood that they had to head back to the Brotherhood house and go into hiding quickly.

* * *

**Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Present Time**

The Blackbird landed down on the ground, and Logan "Wolverine" Howlett was the first one to jump off the plane running towards the sight of Carol's crashed truck. He looked worried sick over the fact that Carol had gotten caught in an accident, and that it appeared that the Brotherhood had broken free. Logan knew Carol. He knew that it wasn't like her to get into car accidents. Sniffing the air, Logan rushed over to where he saw Carol was on a stretcher about to be put on what appeared to be some sort of jet. He noticed a Caucasian man, balding, wearing an eye patch, doing damage control as he chewed a cigar.

"FURY!" Logan shouted as he came over.

"Logan," Nicholas J. Fury said to him, trying to keep his tone as calm as he could.

"Fury, what the fuck happened here?" Logan demanded as he breathed hard, looking over at his unconscious girlfriend who had an oxygen mask taped over her face. Bluish-green-colored blood was running down the side of her head and her nose, a sign of her being part Kree. She looked as though she had at least a hundred broken bones. He noticed her nose and forehead had bruises on them. The blue veins on her face were standing out starkly against her pale skin. He did not have to be a rocket scientist to know Carol was dying. "First, the Juggernaut breaks loose thanks to Magneto . . . now; I'm seeing that the Brotherhood broke free and that my girlfriend looks half-dead!"

"Logan, SHIELD has got this under control. I'm looking for answers too as to why the hell one of my sharpest agents just got attacked and caught off guard," Fury told the Wolverine. He looked over towards a red-headed woman and a blonde, muscular man with a bow and arrow strapped to his back. "Romanoff, Barton!" he barked. "Did you two find anything at all?"

"No, but, based on what we can see here, something had caused Carol to lose control of the truck," Clint Barton said, shaking his head. "It's out of character for her to lose control of a vehicle like that. Whoever attacked her, must've really thrown her off guard."

Suddenly, that was when Logan sniffed the air again, and he clenched his jaw in anger. "Creed!" he growled. "Goddammit . . . no wonder it stinks here!" He unsheathed his claws out, looking as though he were about to go into a berserker rage just as the other X-men came over to see exactly what had happened.

"Not today, Logan," John Proudstar told him sternly. "Fury, what the hell happened here?"

"The Brotherhood escaped from their prison transfer, but we think that there's more to it all. Judging based on what has happened to Danvers, the Brotherhood had been planning this for a while" Fury said, shaking his head.

"Well, I can sense that Sabretooth was here . . ." John said. "Along with Mystique . . . and someone else, but, she's not anywhere close to here. I cannot identify her. They must've gone too far."

Jean, Scott, Bobby and Ororo in particular were in shock that this had all happened in the span of a day. Before they knew it, Professor Xavier, Tony and Hank had joined them too.

"Professor Xavier . . . this is something that we could use your help for. As far as I can tell, Carol, she's unconscious. We're going to have to put her under a coma but we're also going to have to find out some answers as to what had happened. And seeing as to how none of my employees here right now are psychics . . ." Fury said.

"Of course, Colonel," Professor Xavier said around a nod.

"And Mr. Stark, X-men, you're coming with us too," Fury informed them. "We'll need you all."

"Okay, well, we'll need Rhodey to pilot the Blackbird back home, Warren needs medical attention. Cecilia's going home, Pepper too," Hank said as they entered the SHIELD quinjet.

Upon entering, Scott was amazed by the high-end technology that was on the plane. Being the son of a military test pilot and a military scientist, Scott was beside himself. However, he was also worried to death over Carol and the fact she had to be placed underneath a coma. The fact that the Brotherhood had managed to somehow escape the custody of Alpha Flight was most definitely disturbing.

Hank, Logan and Nick Fury rushed Carol to the medical bay on the quinjet, hooking her up to the various machines to monitor her brainwave activity, heartbeat, blood pressure and breathing. Logan just took his seat next to Carol, his hand in hers.

"She's a tough woman, Logan; she'll pull through this," Natasha Romanoff told him quietly. "She's not one to just give up . . . she's the strongest of us all."

"I sure to God hope so, Nat," Logan told her. "Because if she doesn't . . ."

"Oh believe me, I'll never hear the ending of it all," Natasha said, a hint of sadness in her voice as Jean and Scott came into the room. Jean walked around to make the attempt at reading Carol's mind.

"I've got nothing," she said, shaking her head. "She has no brain activity at all."

"Shit," Logan whispered as he felt Fury laying a hand down on his shoulder. He felt a strong sense of anger no matter how hard he tried to hide it. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to go on a berserker rage and hunt down Sabretooth and kill him with his bare hands. But, he also knew that since the Brotherhood wasn't anywhere close to where they were, he had nothing to take his anger out on. He suddenly wished that he could unsheathe his claws and stick them into the first computer monitor that he laid his eyes on.

"She's a tough woman, Wolverine, believe me, I know," Fury told the former living weapon. "I would know, because when I'd met her the first time, I hadn't been Colonel for SHIELD. Truth being told, I was getting ready to hang my badge up because we were dealing with shit beyond our comprehension. Alien technology . . . car chases, stuff you cannot write. You cannot make any of it up."

"Yeah, yeah she told me about that, bub," Logan whispered, a slight fond smile on his lips. "But, Carol and I . . . we both always dealt with having skeletons in the closet. We were both used as weapons."

"And that's why she fell for you in the first place," said Natasha. "It was because you both dealt with so much shit in your lives, it was easy for the two of you."

"But, I still cannot wrap my mind around the idea that she got her powers from aliens, of all things. The fact that aliens exist," Scott said, shaking his head.

"Believe me, Scooter, they're real. And those aliens, the Skrulls, they _didn't _come in peace," Logan told him.

"He's right, Summers," Fury told Scott. "And in a way, your mother would have known about it, too."

"Wait, you knew my mother?" Scott asked in surprise. He knew that his mother had had a share of secrets about her work. She never talked about her work as a scientist, and she'd always banned Scott and his brother from going into her office. She never wanted anyone in there because everything that she had had access to with her research was strictly confidential. As far as Scott knew, his mom had probably been the most secretive woman he'd ever known in his entire life. He was also aware that any research she may have been doing at the time around the plane crash had been locked away.

"I knew your mom probably better than you and your own brother did. In fact, she'd been an agent for SHIELD," Fury informed him.

"Wait . . . so the day our plane had crashed, and my parents had announced we were going on an impromptu vacation," Scott said in realization. 'That explains so much,' he thought.

"Yeah; I'm assuming if they chose to take you and your brother away, then it had something to do with the work your mother had been doing here at the time. I do not know exactly what project she had been working on. But many think it might have had to do with a project at SHIELD called Project Pegasus. It had been something I had been overseeing at the time, and I knew Katherine had been overseeing, too.

"But I do remember that she was one of my best agents; one of the sharpest women that I knew. She was sharp-nosed, intelligent beyond her years; wouldn't take shit from anyone. But she was also kind; filled with compassion. In fact, I'd introduced your father to her when he'd gotten recruited part time for SHIELD. And let me tell you, first time your father, Christopher, laid eyes on Katherine, he knew she was the one for him. He knew he wanted her, and only her, for the rest of his life," Fury said in admiration towards Scott's late mother.

'Wow . . . I knew my mom was many things, but I'd never knew she had been an agent for SHIELD,' Scott thought as he sat there in his seat. 'But this makes me wonder about the research she'd been doing . . . her announcing to Alex and I that we were going on vacation was too convenient at the time. She had to have been hiding something.'

"How're we doing here?" Tony asked as he came into the room.

"She's completely comatose . . . I cannot get any brain activity from her," said Jean, shaking her head.

"Dammit. But, how exactly did the Brotherhood manage to break out?" Tony asked.

"Well, we won't know just yet. I think that Jean and I should try and find Carol's mind, wherever it is," Professor Xavier said.

"Do whatever it takes," Logan insisted. "Just let me know if you find any traces of Sabretooth . . ." He popped out his middle claw. "I wanna get that son of a bitch."

"Save the bloodthirsty vendetta for another time, Little Uncle," Natasha insisted as she kissed Logan's cheek before walking out of the room. Scott and Jean turned to look towards Logan at the mentioning of Natasha calling him "Little Uncle." What she'd meant by that, they had no idea.

"Wait, what did she mean by that?" asked Jean.

"I use to train her. I don't have half of my memories, but, the few that I do have of Nat . . . before she worked fer SHIELD, she'd been part of the KGB due to the fact that they had abducted her as a child. The KGB had this program called the Black Widow Initiative. It was her, and about fifty other girls who had been adopted into it. They conditioned her to kill, to be an assassin, and apparently, before I'd had my memories wiped by Weapon X, I was one of the people who had trained her at the time. She said she used to call me "Little Uncle" because of how close the two of us were," Logan explained.

"They ended up injecting her with a super soldier serum to get her to age slower and heal faster; they'd done that when she had turned twenty-one. But the true test of the program was surviving it; many of them broke before they could even go through it. But Natasha was the one who managed to survive it," Logan continued to say.

"Wow, Logan . . . as if I thought your past couldn't get more fucked up," whispered Jean with a shake of her head.

"Tell me about it, Red," Logan said. "Welcome to my world."

Jean looked to the professor. "Should we try and do the psychic intervention now that she's stable?" she asked.

"Indeed, Jean," Professor Xavier told her. Together, the two psychics placed their hands on either side of Carol's head, their eyes closing as they tried finding out exactly where her mind was.

* * *

**Up next: Save Me Now **


	13. Issue 33: Save Me Now

_Charles Xavier and Tony Stark brought together the X-men as a way to save a world that hates and fears mutants. Their most recent challenges have included not only fighting back against Senator Edward Kelly trying to register them under the government, but also a mysterious thief known as the Shadow King, a group of underground mutants known as the Morlocks, and Charles Xavier's abusive older step-brother, Cain Marko – who is now known as the Unstoppable Juggernaut. _

_Unfortunately, their fight with the Juggernaut distracted the X-men from the real problem at hand. Magneto had released the Juggernaut as means to distract so that Mystique would be able to liberate the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. In order to do this, Mystique had her adoptive daughter, Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto attack Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers – Wolverine's girlfriend and the personal trainer for the X-men. _

_The agents of SHIELD decide to take Carol into their custody and care, and while the X-men are on the SHIELD quinjet, revelations about Scott's past come to him when he learns that his late mother – Katherine Summers – hadn't been an ordinary military scientist, but rather one of SHIELD's top researchers and agents. _

_Now, Carol remains comatose, with Jean Grey and Charles Xavier preparing to perform a psychic intervention on her in order to find out what had happened to her. As this is happening, Anna-Marie D'Ancanto is facing the consequences of her actions._

* * *

**Issue 33: Save Me Now **

**The Brotherhood House – Anna-Marie's Room **

Nobody could ever imagine having the feeling of having one-hundred voices screaming at you inside your head, telling you nearly a million things at once. For Anna-Marie D'Ancanto, as she sat up in her bedroom in the Brotherhood House, she now suddenly realized the feeling of being schizophrenic.

As she continued to sit there – or rather floating there on top of her bed, Anna-Marie couldn't help but feel the intense amount of guilt for what she had just done to Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers only short of an hour ago. She kept her face burrowed deeply in her knees as the tears streaming down and silent sobs shook her whole body. She was trembling softly.

Needing to feel Carol's memories, as well as the memories of her first crush, Cody, as well as Warren Worthington, Jr. inside her head made her feel as though she were losing her mind. She didn't know how, but, somehow, she had gotten Ms. Marvel's powers permanently.

'Why? Why did Ah have ta hold on like that?' she asked herself. 'Why? Ah-Ah coulda've killed her . . . and it's all mah fault . . .'

That was when she heard another voice inside her head. _"It _is_ all your fault! You stole my powers . . . my life!" _It was a voice that sounded an awful lot like Carol._ "I am like this because of _you_!"_

'Ah'm sorry! Ah'm sorry! Ah-Ah didn't mean to!'

"_Shut up! You know what you meant to do!"_

Anna-Marie's body shook harder. She was finding it difficult to control her new ability of flight. However, she couldn't organize her mind due to the fact that she had several voices shouting at her inside her head. Suddenly, that was when she could hear Cody.

"_It's all your fault, you stupid mutie freak! _You_ did this to meh!"_

'It was an accident . . . Ah didn't mean to hurt anybody! Why-Why meh? Why can't Ah be normal?' Anna-Marie turned her face up to look at the ceiling above her, finding it difficult to keep her emotions in check as she continued to cry silent tears. She didn't understand why this all had to happen to her. She used to be a normal teenage girl, with friends and an active social life. Now, she didn't know what she was anymore.

Anna-Marie attempted to wipe the tears out of her eyes, but, it was useless because only more flowed down her face. She felt sick to her stomach over what she had done. However, the only person in the Brotherhood House who had even offered her any concern was Wanda Maximoff – Scarlet Witch, who had come in to check on her just a few minutes ago to make sure that she was okay. However, the seventeen-year-old mutant was barely holding it together.

As Anna-Marie continued to weep out of pure fear of what it was that she was becoming, she knew that she couldn't stay with the Brotherhood. She had stayed as a favor to Mystique for saving her, but, now, she knew that if this was the kind of life that she was going to be living, then she couldn't take anymore.

Trying to gather her mind, she made the attempt to land herself down onto her bed. She managed to succeed a little bit. Grabbing a duffle bag, she packed up as many clothes as she could fit inside as well as a blanket. Opening up the window of her bedroom, Anna-Marie proceeded to fly out, leaving the one place that she used to call home.

Flying in the air towards no particular destination, Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto knew that she didn't have too many options. Now that she was officially on the run again, she knew that she had to find some sort of shelter somewhere.

She knew that her actions that she had committed would have grave consequences. As she continued to fly off towards nowhere in particular, the young woman felt the sense of loneliness coming over her, especially as the voices grew louder, screaming inside her head at once. She didn't know where she could go. There weren't too many people out there who were kind towards mutants. Finally, she found a secluded, wooded area in the town of Bayville, New York, where she could sit down and try to gather her mind together as best as she possibly could.

As she continued to sit there, Anna-Marie shivered, suddenly remembering how it had felt when she had been on the run in Mississippi. The tears continued to roll down her face as she finally allowed herself to sob out loud in the solitude of the woods.

'What am Ah gonna do . . . what the fuck am Ah gonna do?' she asked herself as the sickness in her stomach grew worse. She wrapped her arms around her body to try and comfort herself, rocking back and forth as shudders and shivers ran throughout.

* * *

**SHIELD Quinjet – Infirmary **

For the next hour or so, Jean Grey and Professor Charles Xavier continued to try and look for any source of Carol's mind anywhere. Their eyes were closed in concentration as they looked deeper and deeper in the effort to find some answers. Maybe these answers could lead as to why the Brotherhood and Juggernaut had escaped custody of Alpha Flight.

As Jean and Professor Xavier continued to work, Logan Howlett sat at the side of his girlfriend, holding her hand tight in his as Scott Summers, Bobby Drake, Ororo Munroe, Hank McCoy and John and James Proudstar sat around, waiting for answers as well. Tony Stark was awaiting answers too as he paced back and forth in the infirmary. Scott was shaking his leg slightly; his eyes clenched shut behind his ruby-quartz glasses. However, everyone was also worried about Warren back at home, who was reported to have several fractures in his wings and that he wouldn't be flying around anywhere for a week. The whole entire situation sucked for Warren, who loved flying and the freedom that it gave him.

'C'mon, Ms. Danvers, where are you?' Jean wondered to herself as she continued to try and perform the psychic intervention. She and the professor were not even sure if they would be able to wake Carol up from her coma. Whoever had done this had clearly drained her of all of her energy, which was a complete shock to everyone due to how powerful she was.

Logan continued sitting there, squeezing Carol's hand hard in both of his. 'C'mon, pull through, darlin'. You know I can't train the X-men on my own. I can't do this without you . . .' He closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears from coming to his eyes. He rarely ever cried. Nobody ever saw him cry. He couldn't afford to make himself look vulnerable in front of his students. He had to keep the "Wolverine" bit going, mostly because if he went soft, there was no way Bobby Drake or Warren Worthington III would ever take him seriously.

Just when Jean and the professor were about to lose all hope of finding some sort of presence of Carol's mind anywhere, they suddenly could hear the blonde, former Air Force pilot's mind somewhere else. But, her mind sounded so far away, and it was mixed with a few other angry thoughts, as well as the thoughts of somebody who was highly anxious and scared.

'This is all _your _fault . . . _you _did this to me! You stole my _life!_'

'Please! Please! Ah didn't mean to Ah didn't mean to! Ah didn't wanna do it!'

'SHUT UP, Anna-Marie . . . you _know _this is your fault! God if Ah knew you were a mutie freak, Ah wouldn't have kissed ya!'

'You nearly killed me!'

'Please! Stop! God what is happenin' to meh? What am Ah gonna do?'

'I'll tell you what is happening to you! You stole my powers . . . my life . . . everything . . . I am in a coma all because of _you!_'

That was the moment Jean and the professor pulled out of Carol's mind. Jean gasped as she pulled out, her eyes flying open.

"Did you find anything?" asked Logan.

"We did manage to find something . . . it's almost as though her mind was _taken out _by somebody else. This mutant seems to have the ability to syphon energy out of others, and with mutants, or this case, Ms. Danvers, she can absorb their powers as well. As far as I can tell, her name is Anna-Marie," Jean whispered, closing her eyes. "She's scared to death more than anything else. I don't think I have ever heard anyone more terrified in my entire life."

"Well, she should be." Logan popped a single claw out.

"No, Logan. I get it, I know you're angered over what happened to Ms. Danvers, but, best I can tell just from reading this girl's thoughts, she didn't _want _to do this to Ms. Danvers. She didn't want to hurt anybody," Jean said.

"I don't give a flying shit, Jeannie!" Logan growled. "Fact is, she did, and there are consequences to it!"

"Come on, for the love of God, Logan! _You_ were used by Weapon X! Did you do everything right in life? I thought you out of all people would have compassion for a person going through something like this," Jean pointed out.

"You were used as a weapon. You had had everything taken away from you . . . your freedom, your memories; any humanity you may have had. If it hadn't been for Professor Xavier, if it hadn't been for Alpha Flight, and Nick Fury, you wouldn't be here. I think you of all people should be willing to give this girl a second chance, if that is what she desires. Based on what I've picked up on her thoughts, she didn't mean any of it. She didn't want any of this. Why she did this, we won't know until we hear from her. Just be willing to hear her out," she continued to say.

"This is different from the shit that happened to me," the feral former living weapon snapped.

"Sure it is," Jean said, exasperated. She turned to the professor. "Professor, are you going to have to use Cerebro to find where this Anna-Marie girl happens to be?"

"Indeed, Jean. We should get back to X-Corporation now that we've got some idea of what had happened to Carol," the professor said. "But, I fear that if this mutant has Carol's abilities as well as her memories now, that I won't be able to separate Carol from Anna-Marie's mind, and I would only be able to quiet her at least until we find some way to get Carol to awaken by having her consciousness go back into her body."

Logan bared his teeth and let out an angered growl, shaking his head. "Well, when you find 'er, I wanna have five minutes with her! Just five minutes!"

Jean shook her head. "Logan, stop," she said as Scott got up from where he was sitting outside the infirmary, rejoining them.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"We found some potential answers," Jean said. "We'll find out even more soon."

"Good, good to know," Scott whispered, pulling Jean into a firm hug.

"Alright, well, we should get back home to X-Corporation Tower so that I can track down this mutant," the professor said.

"I'm comin' with ya. I wanna be with ya guys when you find this punk!" Logan growled, getting up to leave the infirmary, his claws unsheathed.

"What's with him?" Scott asked.

"You really do not want to know how angry he is. I'm worried that if he sees this mutant, he's going to just go into a berserker rage the minute he lays eyes on her. I understand that he's upset about it, but, this mutant, there's something about her when I read her mind. She just seems scared shitless," Jean said. "And you and I of all people know how that feels. You know where we were five months ago."

"Yeah, you've got a point there, Red," Scott said in agreement as Nick Fury came over to them.

"We're giving you guys a lift home. If you find anything let us know immediately, and as far as that mutant goes, we'll figure out exactly what punishment she should be given," Fury said.

"Well, Fury, to be quite honest, based on the thoughts that I had picked up from this girl, she's taken enough punishment in her life," Jean whispered around a heavy sigh. "If we end up finding her, I would want to talk to her."

"Why?" Scott asked.

"I've spent all these past years of my life locked up in a mental hospital Scott, with no family, completely alone. It's not like me to stand by and watch as others around me suffer," Jean explained.

"Good point. You know sometimes you've got too big of a heart, Jean," Scott said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a softie, but can you blame me?"

"No, none of us can."

* * *

**Woods of Bayville **

'Why, M-Mamma?' Anna-Marie thought to herself as she stayed curled up on the grasses of woods in Bayville, New York. 'Why did ya make meh do that? Why did Ah have to hold on? Didn't Ah love ya enough? Y-You _knew _what would h-happen. And now . . . now Ah don't know what to do!'

Anna-Marie continued to weep as her body shook with fear for what would happen to her. She could feel the physical sickness in her stomach growing worse as it translated to actual nausea, and she leaned over, throwing up in the grass.

Anna-Marie felt as though she was vomiting for every time she had ever suffered. Having lost her mother had been one of the hardest things she'd ever gone through, and she never imagined she'd have to go through something worse than that.

Then, her mutation had developed.

If only she hadn't kissed Cody . . . if only she hadn't gone to that stupid party . . . if only she hadn't been so naïve to accept Mystique wanting to help her. No. Mystique hadn't been wanting to help her. She'd used her to do something terrible and hurt somebody else. Everything Anna-Marie had ever done with the Brotherhood felt as though it were all collapsing on top of her as she continued to throw up.

Retching until there was nothing left in her stomach to release, Anna-Marie took in shuttering breaths as tears continued to roll down her face.

"Why . . . Why did this h-have to h-happen to meh?" she asked. "Ah-Ah w-wish Ah w-were normal! Ah-Ah never wanted powers. If Ah never h-had these powers, Ms. Marvel w-wouldn't be hurt right now."

Continuing to sniffle, Rogue could continue to hear the voices in her head of all she had ever come into physical contact with. She felt as though she were a schizophrenic, hearing everyone talking to her at once inside her mind. They were a mixture of those blaming her for causing them harm.

"Ah-Ah'm sorry . . . Ah'm so sorry," she whimpered as she rocked her body back and forth.

"_No, you are not! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"_ shouted the voice of Carol in her mind.

"N-No, s-stop, stop, stop, stop!" Anna-Marie choked out as her eyes continued to well with tears of humiliation, fear and pain. She had never felt more alone in her life, once again.

* * *

**Up next: Tracking Rogue **


	14. Issue 34: Tracking Rogue

_In a world that hates and fears mutants, Charles Xavier and Tony Stark brought together a team of teens and young adults known as the X-men out of effort to fight for peace in times where no one wants mutants in the world. _

_They've faced their share of successes and failures. Having fought enemies such as the Shadow King, the Morlocks and Xavier's stepbrother, the Unstoppable Juggernaut, the X-men are faced with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants escaping Alpha Flight's custody. _

_Mystique used her legal ward, Anna-Marie D'Ancanto – known as Rogue – to attack Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers as she was transporting the Brotherhood to Riker's Island. With Carol in a comatose state, Rogue now finds that she is in the worst position she can possibly be in. Stranded in the woods of Bayville, New York, the teenager is in a state of torment and suffering due to her out of control powers and her inability to organize her thoughts and separate them from others'._

* * *

**Issue 34: Tracking Rogue **

**X-Corporation Tower – Convalescence Room**

'God, I hoped for so many years that I would never have to fight the Juggernaut! Why? Because of _this _moment right here . . . Christ!'

The same thoughts were running through the mind of Warren Worthington III as he lay in a hospital bed for the second time that month. Not only did he end up in the medical bays of X-Corporation Tower a good week or so prior after being kidnapped by the Morlocks, but now, he had fractures in his wings. His wings were splinted upward, being held in place securely. The only reason he didn't feel the fractures in his wings or the bruise on his hip was because he was so hopped up on painkillers. They were not nearly enough to make him sleep deeply, but, they were enough to numb the pain that he had been in.

Warren stared up at the ceiling in exasperation as his thoughts continued to run through his mind. Shaking his head as though he were trying to clear it, he closed his eyes as he weakly reached over for a glass of water. Taking a longing sip, he sighed heavily. That was the moment he heard knocking on the convalescence room door, and he looked up to see Jean in the doorway.

"Hey, you feeling any better?" she asked him, moving to sit next to him.

"Well, I'm hopped up on painkillers right now, so I don't really feel anything. According to Dr. Reyes, I'm like this for a week until the fractures heal," he told her with a frustrated groan.

Jean sighed and leaned a hand on Warren's arm sympathetically. "Well, we found out about Ms. Danvers. She's comatose right now and she's in SHIELD custody. They can take care of her better than we can here, considering the fact that she's an agent for them."

"How did she end up in a coma?" asked Warren, suddenly concerned.

"A mutant with ability to siphon energy out of people ending up absorbing her to the point where she was knocked out; we believe that this is the same mutant the Brotherhood used to try and get info from your father four months ago," Jean explained grimly.

"_Shit!" _Warren cursed out. "And the Brotherhood, they've been so quiet all this time. I knew it was too convenient, that they hadn't been giving us any trouble all these months. All was quiet on the western front until now. What are they planning?"

"We do not know. All we're hoping for is that when we find this mutant who did this to Carol, that we will be able to get some answers from her. Maybe she can give us some insight as to what the Brotherhood has got planned," Jean explained.

"Let me guess? Is the professor in Cerebro right now?"

"Yeah, he's trying to track her. I've somehow managed to pick up on this mutant's thoughts when the professor and I performed a psychic intervention on Ms. Danvers. Apparently, this mutant, she didn't want to hurt Carol. In fact, she had been very reluctant to do it. This tells me that there's more to it than just some kid looking to cause trouble."

"What makes you think that?" asked Warren.

"Because I've lived in a mental hospital for how many years before the professor came and got me?" Jean asked in a serious tone. "I understand what it means to be manipulated into having a certain mindset. I can sympathize with her, in that respect. If it hadn't been for the professor being willing to give me second chances at having a life, I wouldn't be where I am right now. All we can do is hopefully offer the same second chances to this girl."

"Yeah, Jeannie . . . good point there," Warren said.

"Well, you're not going anywhere any time soon for a week. You're on mandatory bed rest until you're recovered; Dr. Reyes' orders. You shouldn't have even been out there in the field today especially after your accident from a week or so ago," Jean reminded him, leaning a hand on his shoulder before exiting the room to leave Warren alone.

* * *

**Cerebro Chamber **

'Come on, where are you?'

For the past thirty minutes or so, Professor Charles Xavier was in the Cerebro chamber, sitting there looking around for the traces of Anna-Marie's mind, which he knew had Carol Danvers trapped inside.

Keeping his eyes closed, he concentrated harder. He understood that Logan, the personal trainer for his X-men, was worried sick over the fact that his girlfriend was knocked comatose.

'Mutant . . . mutant, Anna-Marie, where are you, child?' Xavier wondered as he continued to sit there.

"Professor, you've been going at this for the past thirty minutes. What if she doesn't _want _to be found?" Scott asked.

He could imagine that maybe – maybe, this kid did not want to be found because she was too scared. Scott could relate, especially since after he'd destroyed the roof of the hospital he'd stayed in after waking from his coma, he had taken off to the streets. He had begged, stole and did everything necessary to survive because he hadn't wanted to accept anyone's sympathy or pity. He couldn't bear the idea of anyone pitying him. After the child protective services found him, they had placed him in the orphanage. After that, everything else in his life crumbled. Professor Xavier had been the first one to genuinely care about _him. _Professor Xavier had seen something in Scott that he had found to be worthy.

"That could very well be the case, Scott," the professor said.

"Chuck, she's got Carol's powers _and _her life force _and _her memories inside of her! It shouldn't be too hard to find her!" Logan growled.

"How's about some patience, Logan?" Scott asked his mentor and friend, narrowing his eyes behind his visor.

"Kid," Logan started to say, grabbing Scott by the arm.

"Logan, no okay? I know what's going through your head. You want to stick your claws into the first person who gives you the wrong look right now! But what good is that going to do? What would Ms. Danvers want you to do right now?" Scott shrugged his arm out of Logan's grasp, giving him a long, hard look. Scott was one of the few X-men members who had the nerve to stand up to Logan, which was a big part of why Logan had so much respect for his student.

"Yeah, yeah, yer right, kid," Logan told him, nodding. The two proceeded to quiet down as they allowed Xavier to do his thing for a while.

As Xavier continued to sit there wearing the Cerebro helmet, that was the moment he got a trace of a mutant signature that matched up to the mutant named Anna-Marie. When he finally locked down on her, the file came up on the Cerebro computer. The computer said:

"_Anna-Marie D'Ancanto . . . age seventeen, born in Biloxi, Mississippi, ran away from home after powers manifested upon kissing her first boyfriend. Abilities: ability to siphon life-force and energy out of anything alive, maintain others' memories, enhanced durability, high healing factor, and flight. Location: woods of Bayville, New York." _

"Alright, we've got her location," the professor said, downloading the files on Anna-Marie D'Ancanto. However, Logan and Scott stood there, taking it in.

The fact that a seventeen-year-old kid had run away from home after having accidentally caused harm to her first boyfriend was quite the surprise. Logan had heard of mutant orphans running away from home; it was almost common given how unkind the world was to mutants. However, he also still felt the twinge of bitterness. None of that excused what Anna-Marie had done to Carol at all. However, it also gave some sort of possible reasoning behind it. Logan, the professor and Scott exited the Cerebro chamber to get onto the Blackbird as quickly as possible.

"I can't believe it . . . seventeen years old doin' shit like this; I've heard of problem mutant children before, but, this is new," Logan said, still in surprise over it. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't still angry and untrusting of this teenage girl.

"Look, Logan, I get it, you do not trust her, but give her the courtesy to hear her out and listen to what it is that she has got to say. Maybe there's a legit reason as to why she did what it is that she did," Scott suggested as they both boarded the jet. Professor Xavier sat up in the cockpit beside Scott, manning the portable Cerebro helmet that he had brought with him for this trip.

"Yer right, Cyke, yer right, but what she did is wrong," Logan said.

"Logan, we've done lots of things wrong in life. You do not have to trust her or try and break bread with her; you don't even have to look at her if you do not want to. Just let her explain herself, because she deserves to at least have that. She deserves all the same second chances that we were offered. Okay? Because before Professor Xavier, nobody was willing to give me a chance at anything. They saw me as not worthy of a shot at redemption. I am sure you were in that same place, too. So, how's about giving this kid the chance to explain herself?" Scott insisted as he took his seat in the pilot's chair. Jean, Ororo, Bobby, Hank and Cecilia soon joined them on board, Hank holding onto one of Forge's power-dampening collars. Scott started the plane, and they proceeded to fly off to the city of Bayville.

* * *

**Woods of Bayville, New York – One Hour Later**

"I really do hope that she is okay," said Jean as she and Scott trudged through the soft, muddy grounds of the Bayville woods. The rain was pelting down, but Jean was managing to keep her and Scott dry be deflecting the rain with her telekinesis. The loud rumbling of thunder seemed to shake the air.

"Me too," Scott said. "I don't know this kid's story but she deserves to be respected enough to be heard out. Besides, she doesn't seem like the type to run around with the Brotherhood."

Jean breathed out a sigh. "I know, Scott," she said. "But let's face it. If we were in her position – which we have been in before the professor came and got us – we probably would have done the same thing. Best I can tell she acted out of anxiety. People do things out of fear; it doesn't make them bad people."

"Yeah; I can think of a few things that I did that I'm not that proud of," Scott admitted.

Jean nodded, and began her telepathic search. However, what she heard brought a shiver down her spine. She could hear Anna-Marie's thoughts; they were projecting loudly in her mind, and she could feel the girl's pain and fear. However, it wasn't long until Jean and Scott stumbled across the form of Anna-Marie curled in a tight ball on the soft, muddy ground below, rain pelting down on her face as she sobbed dryly. Her whole body was shaking from a mixture of cold and fear, and Scott and Jean could both see that the girl had gotten sick. It was a pitiful sight for them to take in as they walked over to her slowly to try and help her up.

Anna-Marie D'Ancanto didn't know how long she had been laying in the grass of the woods of Bayville, New York. All she knew was that she had to try and gather her mind. But she was finding the task to be nearly impossible as she continued to sob. For several hours her body had just been floating there before she finally lacked the strength and collapsed down into the mud. Her mind and body were still in the mode of fight or flight. She couldn't bring herself to relax because her breathing was still erratic and heavy. She knew that if she did not calm down, then she would eventually throw up again. But, she did not care. She couldn't see herself recovering after having done what she just did.

What she had done was nearly unforgivable; she knew that. She understood what she did was wrong. And now, Ms. Marvel, one of the founding members of the Canadian-American mutant group, Alpha Flight, was knocked comatose because of her. How was she supposed to forgive herself for what she had just done? What could she possibly do to make up for it? She'd rather Alpha Flight collar her and lock her up in prison. She'd take jail over this. Her head was spinning as she continued laying there, shaking and crying. She was surprised that she still had any tears left to shed.

"_YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU STOLE MY LIFE!"_ shouted the psychic voice of Carol Danvers.

'Please, please, just leave meh alone! I beg of ya! I beg ya!' Rogue thought as her body continued shivering from cold.

"Why? Why is this happenin' to meh? I didn't wanna hurt anyone!" Anna-Marie asked herself, still breathing hysterically. "Ah'm a good person . . . what have Ah done to deserve this?" She stared up at the sky. "IS THIS WHAT YA WANT FROM MEH?" she screamed out, as if she were cursing out God for making her this way. "Is this what Ah am?" She felt her body beginning to grow weaker as she continued to lie there in the grass, closing her eyes as her sobs wracked her whole frame. She was cold, scared and confused. Why did this have to happen to her? What had she done that had been so wrong in life to deserve something like this?

As her sobs finally began to subside, she felt her breathing slow. She didn't have any more tears left in her to release. But, her breathing still posed as an issue as she continued with just lying there on the ground. A violent shiver wracked her body. She did not know how long she lay there. It must have been a long time, though, because she heard footsteps over her head and concerned whispering. She felt the presence of someone kneeling next to her, a hand on her shoulder.

"Anna-Marie?" she heard a voice asking her over her head . . . a male's, a voice of concern and worry, genuine kindness and sympathy.

The young woman shut her eyes tighter. She just wanted to disappear forever. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

'Easy,' she heard a voice inside her head, only this one sounded much quieter and more controlled. It was a voice that belonged to a female. 'Listen, try and concentrate. We can help you. It's going to be okay. You'll be alright.'

Anna-Marie just shook her head, her body still shaking hard.

"Hey, hey . . . c'mon, look at me." Anna-Marie opened her eyes to see a young woman with long, flaming red hair and a young man with dark hair and a red visor masking his eyes. She recognized them as Cyclops and Marvel Girl from the X-men. "Calm down," Scott Summers told her quietly. "We know what happened; just tell us what's going on. We're willing to listen."

"X-men?" the shaken mutant asked.

"Yeah," Jean said softly, her hands rose in the air to show that she meant no harm. "We're aware of what had happened. We know you broke the Brotherhood out of Alpha Flight's custody."

"Yeah . . . Ah-Ah know what Ah did," Anna-Marie whispered. "But-But what's gonna happen to Ms. Marvel?"

"Her powers are part of you permanently, now. I-I tried to wake her from her coma. I can't," Jean said, shaking her head. "The best Professor Xavier and I can do is place some mental blocks on your mind to hopefully quiet her until her consciousness makes its way back to her body."

Somehow, more tears made their way to Anna-Marie's eyes as she heard about what had happened to Carol. "Please . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, I can sense that you didn't want to; that you didn't mean to do it. I know you regret it," Jean said, sympathetic. She could feel the younger teen's fear radiating off her. It reminded her of when she and Scott had first gone off to pick up Bobby from Boston. "Look, we do not know what's going to happen from here. But attacking a SHIELD agent and a founding member of Alpha Flight is a felony, and unfortunately, a serious one. But I want to hear from you why you did it. You're deserving of being able to say what needs to be said."

"Ah-Ah didn't want to, but Ah felt that Ah had to," Anna-Marie admitted. "Ah ended up joinin' the Brotherhood, though Ah didn't do it intentionally."

"Yeah; we're aware of your history with them, but you do not seem like the type to run around with them," said Scott, the sympathy evident in his tone. "Why'd you join them?"

"Mystique found meh in Biloxi. Ah-Ah ran away from home last fall, because, the first boy Ah ever kissed . . . he-he ended up in a coma for nearly three weeks. And Ah-Ah can still feel his presence inside mah mind," Anna-Marie said softly, tears welling in her eyes again. "Ah never wanted ta hurt him, ever. But after that happened . . . everyone was looking at meh like Ah was the devil. Ah never wanted powers . . . Ah used to be normal!" Anna-Marie's sobs grew more anguished, and Jean sat down, not minding that her uniform was being covered in mud. Upon sitting down in the soft ground, she gently placed Anna-Marie's head onto her lap, using a gloved hand to stroke her hair gently.

"Shhhhhh, I know," Jean whispered. Scott extended a hand forward, rubbing the younger teen's back in soothing patterns.

"It's okay," Scott whispered. "It's alright, you're safe. Continue."

"Ah ran away because I knew mah daddy wouldn't approve of mah being a mutant. So, when Mystique found meh, she-she offered to give meh shelter with her, to train meh on how to use mah powers. Why-Why would Ah say no? Why would Ah refuse? She was the only one to notice Ah was suffering and to offer meh anything at all."

Scott and Jean sat there, taking in what the younger teen had to say. The fact that Anna-Marie just told them that she had done what she did as essentially a favor to Mystique in exchange for helping her, it made sense to the two of them. Of course, they were with the X-men as a favor to Professor Xavier in exchange for him taking the two of them in when nobody wanted them.

Jean could see images flashing through her mind as she read Anna-Marie's thoughts. She picked up on images of an older man drunkenly berating a young child of about thirteen years old. She also saw images of that same girl kissing a boy, and screaming in fear due to that said boy collapsing to the ground, not moving and not breathing. Jean was then bombarded with an unsettling image of that same girl, sleeping outside a train station and using newspapers to cover her shivering body. Then she was greeted with imagery of Anna-Marie being found by Mystique, being trained on her powers and absorbing Warren's father. Jean closed her eyes, gasping slightly as she took in everything. It took all strength in her to keep her tears where they belonged.

Jean and Scott had both been in the horrible position of nobody being there for them. Looking at Anna-Marie, the girl had felt the sense of being alone and no one being there for her. It was clear she had no family or anyone to rely on. Mystique had been the closest thing to family she'd had. Now, she was all alone again, and feeling scared over her new powers.

"We believe you," Scott said to her. "Just-Just come with us and the rest of the X-men. We'll see what we can do to help you with whatever you need. We will work on helping you with some special accommodations so that you do not end up going to jail. You need another alternative from prison. Yes, you need to be held accountable, but I do not think sending you to jail is the answer. I've been where you were – probably worse, actually. We all have. You've suffered enough. Well . . . keep in mind that Logan Howlett – Wolverine, well, he's not thrilled about it. That is considering what you did to his girlfriend, but, the first step is you admitting it. But you should understand that there will be consequences coming with this."

Anna-Marie swallowed. "Ah-Ah'll accept whatever punishment Ah have ta take. Whatever's decided, Ah deserve it, because Ah did something terrible."

"Don't beat yourself up," Jean whispered. "Okay? Because all that's going to do is make you feel worse than you already are at this point. What matters is what you do to try and make up for it. C'mon, let's go."

Scott offered Anna-Marie a hand up and he and Jean got the teen onto the X-Jet together, moving her towards the back of the plane and getting a shock blanket wrapped over her.

As they passed, they could see Logan, who was keeping his face neutral. But Jean could sense that he wasn't trusting of Anna-Marie in the slightest. In fact, Jean could tell just by reading his thoughts that it was taking everything in the Wolverine's power to not go into a berserker rage as he looked at Anna-Marie. After settling Anna-Marie in the back of the jet, Professor Xavier came over as Scott got up to go into the cockpit.

"Anna-Marie," the professor said. "The only thing that Jean and I can possibly do at this point is put a block or two on your mind to block Ms. Marvel out. I fear that her powers will always somehow be part of you. We do not know when she will awaken, but when she does, just know that it's not ever going to be the same."

The Southern belle nodded; she was prepared to accept whatever was planned for her at this point. All she could do was put her faith in something.

Closing her eyes, she felt the professor and Jean placing the blocks on her mind and helping her to find her shields, and she felt the voices quieting in her mind. She leaned in against Jean, her head falling into the red-head's lap as she felt the exhaustion overwhelming her mind. She was completely, one-hundred percent drained, and all she wanted to do at that moment was just sleep as Jean ran her fingers through her muddy, soaking wet hair to soothe her. She could hear one thing enter her mind . . . Jean's voice saying, 'It's going to be okay . . . you're going to be okay. Just rest for now. You're safe now.'

* * *

**Up next: Breaking the Habit **


	15. Issue 35: Breaking the Habit

_The X-men strive to protect a world that doesn't want them in it. Their latest endeavor has been fighting the Unstoppable Juggernaut – Charles Xavier's step-brother. However, they were quick to realize that the Juggernaut's prison break was a distraction so that Mystique and her prodigy, Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto could break the Brotherhood out of Alpha Flight's custody. _

_Anna-Marie attacked Carol Danvers under the orders of Mystique, and as a result absorbed Carol's power permanently. Luckily, the X-men successfully rescued her, but her presence isn't appreciated by that of Logan Howlett – Carol's boyfriend. _

_In addition to Rogue being their newest recruit, Bobby "Iceman" Drake has his own share of personal problems, most notably the lacking of communication with his family and his internal struggle with his homosexuality._

* * *

**Issue 35: Breaking the Habit**

**X-Corporation Tower – The Danger Room **

"Alright, kids! Keep up! C'mon, quicken the pace!"

"Logan, last I checked . . . we are not Olympic athletes!" Warren gasped out as he made his way through the obstacle course.

"Wings, shut it! This is an easier course considerin' the fact that Rogue's now part of the team and ya just got outta recovery! Time ta go to work, bub!" Logan growled; a not-so amused expression on his face.

The X-men were in a Danger Room session, on a Sunday, of all days. However, Logan was insisting on bumping up their training sessions even more than usual. He had a good reason for it too.

Ever since Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto had attacked Carol Danvers and released the Brotherhood out of Alpha Flight custody, she'd found herself in deep trouble. However, luckily, thanks to Tony Stark's lawyer, Matt Murdock, they managed to work something out for Anna-Marie. She was offered to join X-Corporation to perform heroic acts as a form of what Tony called "community service" as an alternative to prison. However, she realized that Logan "Wolverine" Howlett was a lot tougher on her. She knew that Logan was just harder on her since she had caused his girlfriend to fall into a coma. She understood that he was highly untrusting of her, so until Anna-Marie proved that she was a changed person, Logan wasn't going to put any trust in her.

'I still don't trust Rogue whatsoever . . . I can't trust her. Who's to say that she won't turn on us but and stab us in the back? After what she did to Carol, I can't break bread with someone like her,' Logan thought as he observed the training session; Rogue, with a jaded glare in his eyes, arms crossed against his chest.

Scott and Jean were currently running through the obstacle course in the effort to catch up with Hank, who had decided to take part in the training that day rather than just sit in the control room with Forge and the professor. Warren was wheezing as he attempted to catch up with the rest of them. Being in the infirmary for a good week had taken him out of the game, and as a result, he felt as though he was in the worst shape he could ever possibly be in.

"Warren, if you think that this is hard, you better forget it, compared to how tonight will be with my parents and grandparents, a Danger Room session will be a walk in the park!" Bobby shouted.

That day, Bobby turned fifteen years old; however, that meant he had to go out with his family for his birthday. He'd refused to go to Boston for the weekend, so his family was coming down to New York. But he wasn't looking forward to it. After a disastrous Hanukkah and Christmas with his parents and grandparents, the last thing Bobby wanted was to go to a restaurant that evening with them.

As Bobby said those words, Jean felt a pang of sympathy hitting her chest. She understood that Bobby still didn't have a good relationship with his parents. Jean telekinetically put a shield up around her to block the incoming paintballs. Ororo used her powers to manipulate the air pressure around her to allow herself to fly beside Rogue. However, they could all tell that Warren was falling ridiculously far behind the rest of them.

"Jean . . . I think that you should try something right about now!" Scott yelled as he looked at the time on the clock. They had about forty-two seconds left.

"Scott, I know what you're thinking but are you sure about this?" asked Jean.

"Positive! Just do it, Red!"

With a telekinetic tug, Jean lifted Warren off the ground after he had fallen, hardly able to keep flying through the obstacle course. Using her telekinesis, she guided Warren the rest of the way through.

"Jeannie, a little warning next time would be extremely helpful!" cried Warren, scared by the fact that Jean had done that so suddenly.

"Sorry, War, but, nobody gets left behind!" Scott said in an apologetic tone as they moved along. Finally, they reached the end of the obstacle course with only thirty-seven seconds to spare.

"End simulation!" Logan barked at Forge. He turned back around to face his team. "Okay, guys, I can just say I am happy that you guys didn't _entirely _fuck up today, but, there's room for improvement. Warren, ya better start puttin' in more hours of physical therapy. Rogue, same with you; I don't wanna see anyone here slacking off. And Drake, yer no exception. I don't give a shit if it's yer birthday or whatever the fuck is goin' with yer parents. Leave that at the door when ya come in here. Use yer heads, guys! Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Scott chose to say. He knew not to argue with Logan at that moment.

'Wow . . . and Jean and Slim claim he's got a softer side? Ah'm not seein' that. The way he's been givin' meh the cold shoulder since Ah came 'round . . . hell Ah can't blame him there. After all, Ah _did _hurt someone that he loves,' Rogue thought as she stood there.

"That's all we get out of you today?" Ororo asked her mentor, wincing slightly. Ever since Rogue had attacked Carol, Logan had been in even more of a sour mood than usual. It didn't help that Rogue also didn't know what Magneto and the Brotherhood were planning, because she hadn't stuck around to find out. She had been too scared to stick around after what had happened with Carol.

"Yeah, Ro," Logan said sternly. "Now go, scram. We'll do this tomorrow, same time! Be ready, runts."

Everyone piled out of the Danger Room to go and take their showers. As they exited, Anna-Marie couldn't help but notice that Logan was still giving her the cold shoulder despite it being almost two weeks of her being part of the team.

'God, Ah know with Logan that what Ah did was wrong . . . Ah remind mahself of that every dang day! But I swear to God if he doesn't stop givin' meh the glares at every opportunity, then there's no way Ah'll even be able to get through another Danger Room session! This is affecting meh too! Ah had to hear his girlfriend inside mah head after Ah absorbed all her powers! Isn't that punishment enough for meh?' Rogue thought. She felt Jean wrapping an arm over her shoulders; the redhead had heard her thoughts.

"Don't get discouraged, Rogue; Logan's just extra sour because we do not know what the Brotherhood is planning, and they're part of the equation as to why his girlfriend is out of commission," Jean told the Southern belle. "He's also trying to adjust to you now being part of the team, considering you're part of the reason why Ms. Danvers got into that accident in the first place. It's going to take you a while to earn Logan's trust and respect. It's not going to just happen overnight."

"Ah also know he's not the fondest of meh; Ah'm practically a fugitive," Anna-Marie admitted.

"You're pardoned from that because Tony and Matt got you out of it. Give it time. He'll come around," Jean assured her. "He just needs some time to adjust. He's just a bit over-protective of us, especially with Scott and me."

Over on Bobby's side, he was especially sour that afternoon. His birthday dinner with his parents and grandparents was going to be coming in just three short hours, and he was already dreading it. On top of that, he had a lot more on his mind than usual. He had just come to the conclusion that he was gay, and it was bothering him so much. He knew that if he told his family that he was gay, he would either get cut off from the family name, or get forced into conversion therapy, for all he knew. His father had blamed him.

"_Bobby, you're the one not trying; you need to put in the work," _his father had said, but, that couldn't be further from the truth. Bobby _did_ try. But whenever he tried to mention his training or his friends at school, his parents would shut him down and dismiss him. He hated being rejected as though he did not matter. To suggest that Bobby didn't try would be ridiculous.

As Bobby walked up to his bedroom, he swallowed hard. He was not looking forward to dinner with his family. He felt as though they hated him, even though Jean insisted that that wasn't the case. As far as Bobby knew, he didn't have parents anymore. He felt Scott's arm coming around his shoulders in the form of a comforting gesture.

"Bobby, I know what you're thinking; I may not be a telepath, but I know you do not want to have to deal with your parents tonight," he told him.

"Scott . . . I can't with them. They claim they want to have me in their lives, but, every time I try to talk to them about the things that matter most to me, it's like they just don't care. They dismiss me like I'm a piece of shit because I'm a mutant," Bobby said bitterly. "I try and I try and I try, and it's not good enough. You would think that because I'm using my powers to do good, that I'm getting good grades in school now that they should be proud, but they're not." He whispered several curse words in Spanish.

"Bobby, I didn't know you speak Spanish," Hank said.

"I've been teaching myself how to for the past year, but right now, I only know a few curse words," Bobby admitted. "But, right now, I don't even wanna think about my parents. I'm sick of them and their attitude now. I mean, you guys know about . . ." He felt his eyes starting to burn with tears.

Scott swallowed, breathing out a sigh. Bobby had come out to him not long ago. In fact, it had been a conversation between them when an argument had occurred between Bobby and his father over the phone. Scott remembered having heard Bobby yelling over the phone line and getting more and more upset, and when he, Warren, and Jean had gone in to see what was going on, they'd walked in on the sight of Bobby sitting on the floor crying.

_"I'm scared, because I do not fit in. I . . . I don't fit it, because I-I'm . . . I'm gay!" _

That had been Bobby's moment of release when Scott had gone to his side and hugged him. It was that moment that got Bobby, Warren, Jean, and Scott becoming closer than they'd ever been in the last few months.

"Bobby, trust me; I'm in your position. My parents and I are just starting to communicate again. Try to give it some time," Warren suggested. "Only time will tell. If you do not go with them tonight to this dinner for your birthday, they will feel as though you aren't trying."

"Believe me, Warren, I am. I went to spend Christmas and Hanukkah with them, and what did they give me as my Christmas present? A therapy session, where they were best friends with the therapist and I was forced to sit there, too embarrassed to say anything. I knew anything that I said would get twisted and blame would get put on me," Bobby said bitterly when they finally reached his bedroom. "Well, I gotta shower and get ready. That's all I can do at this point," he said.

"Alright, we'll see you later; try and have fun tonight. Remember, if you need anything, call or text. We're always here for you," Scott said as Bobby entered his bedroom. The youngest X-man collapsed on top of his bed, looking around his room. He had trophies from basketball tournaments on his bookshelves. He'd told his family that he made the basketball team at his new high school, but, his parents and brother never attended one of his games and tournaments. They always made the excuse that they were "busy," but, Bobby knew that that was complete crap at this point. He knew his family was embarrassed by him because he was a mutant. He got into the shower, hoping that the hot water would wash away his misery that he was feeling right there in that moment.

* * *

**Lee's Dim Sum – Three Hours Later**

That evening, Bobby was at one of the many Kosher Chinese places in Chinatown with his family, since his father and his grandparents were Orthodox Jew and they had to eat Kosher. Bobby knew that every time he and his family went out to eat, they had to eat at places that were Kosher because of how strict his father's religious beliefs were.

Sitting across the table from his mother and father, Bobby picked at his chicken dumplings, not really wanting to be there. But he knew that he had to in order to make his family feel as though he was trying.

"Okay, so, Bobby, how has school been?" his grandmother asked him.

"It's been fine. I'm done with basketball; grades are keeping up," he said. "I'm planning to do soccer next fall, too. And I'm in the math club."

"Good to hear," Bobby's mother told him.

Bobby let out a sigh. The tension in the air was so thick; you could cut it with a chainsaw. It was no secret amongst anyone in his family that Bobby and his parents were on bad terms. However, all Bobby could be at that moment was himself; someone had to try and cut the tension.

"Alright, so, I haven't told anybody about what had happened a couple weeks ago," Bobby said, trying to start a conversation. It was so awkward; he couldn't take it for another minute. The silence was uncomfortable and it was ruining their dinner.

"We already know about what happened in court nearly a month ago; we watched on the news what Tony Stark had to say about you guys," said his father, not even trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.

"Dad, no, it's not that. I'm talking about how a couple weeks ago, my teammate Warren got himself kidnapped by mutants that live in the sewers, which meant we all had to buddy up to go down there and save his sorry ass. And what happens next is, our tech guy, Forge, starts screaming about being allergic to cats because of this cat-like mutant who attacked him by jumping on him. And then he makes a quip at least a week or so ago about us testing mutant-friendly allergy medicine out on him when he has an allergic reaction to cats. Here's my thought: we bring Forge to our house back in Boston, and shove my cat right in his face to see how bad his allergy really is, because I cannot tell if he really is allergic to cats, or if he's just afraid of cats," Bobby said, getting a chuckle out of his little brother, Ronny. He was happy to see that at least his brother was amused by the story. But his parents and grandparents didn't seem the least bit impressed.

"Bobby, why are you talking about this?" asked his mother.

"Because it's part of my life now," Bobby said, defending himself.

"Don't give me attitude, not in front of your grandparents."

"Mom, I'm not giving you attitude," Bobby asserted, hurt by the fact that his mother was dismissing him again. "I'm just trying to talk to you guys about my life and what's going on with me. You guys ask, and I try to tell you, and then I get shot down in about twenty different ways."

"We're not shutting you down," his father insisted to him.

"Dad, please," Bobby pled, refraining from rolling his eyes. He knew the truth, but, if he rolled his eyes, he knew he'd be holding a brick of ice against his lip. "Dad, you know what Mom just did. If I am wrong, tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong; we're not trying to shut you down," said his mom.

Bobby swallowed, suddenly regretting agreeing to go out to dinner with his parents. He couldn't believe that they were out to eat for his birthday, and here his parents were, giving him crap about talking about what was on his mind. Bobby couldn't help who he was. He was honest; he wasn't a liar.

"Okay," he said finally, letting out a sigh as he took a sip of green tea.

"Bobby, don't give us that," his father said.

"Dad, I don't understand why you guys ask me about what's on my mind. I try to say it, and I get dismissed. Okay? I'm an honest person; I don't lie," Bobby insisted. "I'm not a liar. I call it like I see it."

"Son," his father started to say.

"No, don't. Let me speak, please. Let me say my piece, please." Bobby had enough of feeling as though he were more mature than both his parents. "Don't say I do not try, because I do try. Do not suggest that I do not appreciate you guys, because I am appreciative."

"But, Bobby, you did kind of lie. You didn't tell us you were a mutant and we found out when we pulled you out of school," his mother said.

"Mom, I didn't even know that I was a mutant until the moment I accidentally froze the locker room! I couldn't control it because I was scared to death. I was under a lot of stress!" Bobby was exasperated. "Why can't you believe that? Why?"

"Bobby –" his grandmother started to say, wanting to speak on the behalf of her son, Bobby's father.

"Savta," Bobby said, shaking his head. "Savta, please, listen to me for two minutes. None of you can even take two minutes to listen to whatever I have to say. I do try. I want to spend time with you, but you push me away. I feel that this is the most distanced that we have been in these past few months, and I feel almost as though you're putting that on me."

"No, we aren't," Bobby's father said. "Nobody's putting anything on you."

"But, why, whenever I try to talk to you about my training on the phone or my time with my friends, do you dismiss it and tell me to change the subject? Are you not interested in the least about what it is that I have got to say?" Bobby raised an eyebrow. "I mean, we're in _public _talking about this! If we're going to talk about issues like this, we should bring it up when I come up to Boston!"

"We tried to by taking you to therapy with us," his mother insisted.

"Yeah, and then you were becoming best friends with the therapist agreeing with you repeatedly and acting as though I am the problem! Do not say that that wasn't the case, because it was! Was I the only one there?" Bobby asked.

"No," said his father.

"Okay," Bobby sighed. "I think I made my point clear as I could make it. When I talk to you guys I do not want it to be in a therapist's office. I want it in our own home in privacy; not with some stranger."

"Bobby, there's something off with you. I do not know what it is, but why are you telling us this now?" his mother sounded accusing.

"Mom, there's nothing going on in my life except this," Bobby told her. "Okay? There's nothing wrong with me, nothing. Okay? I'm a mutant! Deal with it, please!"

"Bobby, it's more than just you being a mutant, alright? I can sense that," his grandfather said.

"Saba," Bobby said. "Everything is fine. Okay?"

The tension in the air grew thick again. Bobby felt embarrassed by the fact that his family was in a way talking down to him. He hated that. At least at X-Corporation, his friends and the professor didn't dismiss him.

Bobby let a sigh escape his lips as his grandfather said, "Do not say that everything is fine. There's clearly something with you that is off. I do not know what it is, but I can tell you're carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders right now."

He swallowed. Bobby could hear in his grandfather's tone that he cared. But he didn't want to talk about the core of what was bothering him: the fact that he was gay and closeted.

"Saba, I'm okay, I promise. I'm just a little stressed right now."

"Yeah, I can tell," his mother said to him.

Bobby closed his eyes. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. He felt the fear creeping in his stomach. His leg shook under the table. He wanted to let it all go. He wanted to just say it. His chest felt heavy, as though he were trying to breathe underwater. More than anything, he wanted to reach for his cell phone and text Scott or Jean to come and pick him up, because he couldn't take being there another minute.

"Bobby, you know that you can tell us anything," his father said.

"Well, I feel as though I can't," Bobby admitted.

"If you have got nothing to hide, then what's the problem?" asked his father.

Bobby swallowed hard again. He wanted to release the weight off of his chest. He wanted to just say that he was gay and get it over with. Reaching for his phone slickly, he sent a text message to Jean.

**Bobby: **_Jean, I cannot take any more of this. My parents are badgering me but they don't want to listen for anything . . . I can't. I need you and Scott to come and pick me up_

"The problem is, is that whenever I try to sit down and open up to you, you do not listen," he said.

"But, we are listening," his mother said.

"No, actually, you aren't; I can actually say I agree with Bobby," his brother said, finally saying something for the first time that night.

Bobby sighed again. "Mom . . . Dad, just tell me the damn truth at this point. Tell me you do not accept that I am a mutant. Because all I do is try and try, and you both dismiss me like I'm this big loser or something."

"But –"

"No, Mom, don't, please!" Bobby said. "Don't try and make an excuse in the attempt to defend yourself about this! Okay? Because do you want to know part of the reason why I do not tell you guys anything? I feel as though I do not fit in! And it has nothing to do with my mutation, or the fact that I am half Catholic half Jew! It's-It's because . . . I-I'm . . ." He felt his eyes starting to heat up with moisture at the thought of what he was about to say. But, he had to say it. He needed to get it off his chest. He felt as though he was suffocating over it, and he was sick of it. "I'm gay."

Silence followed. Finally, Bobby said the words that had been weighing so heavily on his mind for the past four to five months. He'd finally broken the habit.

"I almost wish that you didn't say that," his mom said.

"So, what are you saying? Are you saying I'm a piece of shit because I'm a mutant and that I came out and said I was gay? Like, what are you suggesting?" Bobby asked seriously, the tears threatening to spill.

"When did I say that?" his mom asked him.

"Mom, please, I know how you feel about people that are gay! You think it's all a choice! Well guess what? I didn't _choose_ to be gay or a mutant! I didn't wake up one day and decide that it's a cool thing to do! But the way you guys talk to me, you _act _as though it's my fault! How is it my fault? I didn't choose this to happen to me! But I would _much rather _be honest about who I am and not lie to people's faces. I would _much_ _rather_ be with a person of the same sex, than be married to some girl and be miserable. Get it?!" Bobby asked, standing up from his seat as he felt his face go red. He needed to exit the restaurant before he lost his composure.

Exiting the restaurant, Bobby felt nothing but humiliated and upset. Somehow, he managed to find a secluded area in a back alleyway where he could try and gather his mind. Finally, he allowed the tears to flow from his eyes as he desperately tried to hold his sobs back.

'I can't believe them . . . I am so disgusted with both my parents! My mother telling me she wishes I didn't say that I was gay? Who does she think she is?! I'm done! I'm done!'

As he thought that, he couldn't hold his sobs back anymore. He kept his face burrowed in his hands as he just cried. He felt as though coming out to his family was his way of having a release.

Bobby didn't know how long he sat out there alone crying, but he soon enough felt the presence of Scott and Jean near him. He could hear Scott asking, "Bobby, are you okay?" He felt Scott's hand resting on his shoulder, consolingly. Jean was kneeling in front of him, trying to pry his hands away from his eyes so that she could look at him.

"Bobby, c'mon look at me," Jean told him.

"N-No . . . Jean, I'm-I'm done. I swear to God! No, I'm done. _Done!_" he said to her amongst heavy breaths.

"Hey, okay? On your behalf, I'm done too," Scott said. "But, right now, Warren's in there trying to handle it. He's trying to talk to your parents. What happened?"

"I-I just . . . I couldn't t-take anymore," Bobby said. "I-I just l-lost it . . . it was disgusting! It-It started with-with them dismissing me after I t-told them about what's been g-going on in my life! I-I tried to tell them that it-it hurts me, but they-they didn't listen to-to that either! And then – and then, I just – I couldn't hold it in anymore! I-I told them that I'm gay . . . and my mother tells me . . . she tells me that she wishes I didn't say anything to her about me being gay!" He felt Scott sitting next to him, a lone hand on his back. "It's l-like they hate me!"

"No, c'mon, Bobby, they don't," Jean whispered, trying to comfort him.

"Y-Yes they d-do!" Bobby dissolved in tears again, feeling Jean hugging him. "It's like w-whatever I-I do it's never g-good enough f-for them because-because they d-don't accept m-me as-as I am." He could feel Jean rocking him gently, rubbing his back in soothing circles.

"Shhh," Jean shushed him.

"C'mon, Bobby, this isn't you," Scott said in a sympathetic voice. "Stop saying that. It's not your fault. Just stop. You need to breathe. Control your breathing; you're going to throw up if you keep this up."

The three of them stayed silent, Bobby bawling on Jean's shoulder as she held onto him. Warren soon enough made his way around the corner, joining them. He felt frustrated on Bobby's behalf. Having parents who had disowned him, Warren knew what Bobby was being put through.

"I talked to them. I told them specifically that, you, Bobby, you try your best to be a good kid, and that you feel they hate you for it," Warren said as Jean pulled away from Bobby.

"And what-what did they say?"

"They said to me . . . well, you're not going to like the answer. Your mom told me that she doesn't hate you. That she loves you, she just can't accept that you're gay and a mutant right now because she needs time to figure it all out," Warren said.

Bobby nodded. "B-But why the hell can't she just t-tell me that instead of dismissing m-me like I-I don't matter? W-Warren . . . c-can y-you t-tell m-me why? Why is this . . . what do you think?" He looked up to face his friends; his face was saturated with tears.

"Um, do you want me to give you my honest opinion?" Warren asked, kneeling next to Jean to Bobby's level.

"Yeah." The younger teen nodded, the tears still streaming down his face. He wanted nothing more than to hear Warren's perspective on it all. Warren had shed plenty of tears over the years over his own family disowning him.

"From my personal observation, you are always ready for a fight, because that's what you're expecting. I get it, you're putting in the effort and the work to try and have a relationship with your mom and your dad. But you have also got to give them the chance to adjust to it all," Warren told him gently. He leaned a hand on Bobby's knee in sympathy, giving it a squeeze. He reached his thumb over to wipe Bobby's tears away from his cheeks.

"B-But I-I try so much! N-No m-matter what I do, it's like I cannot make them feel any pride in me! I-I j-just want what my-my friends Peter and-and Johnny and Angelica experience w-with their f-families. I-I . . .!" Bobby sobbed out as Warren continued to try and help him wipe his tears away.

"You're wondering why you can't enjoy that feeling of being accomplished and accepted?" Jean asked in a soft, comforting voice. "What you just did was, you got to the root of the problem. Do me a favor. You should go, and you should tell your family what you just told us. Because that was some powerful crap," she added.

Bobby just shook his head. "No . . . no I'm d-done t-talking to them. It's like I . . . I don't have parents anymore. They're acting like I have done this . . . when I haven't done this. _They _are putting the wedge between us. _They _are ruining my relationship with them. It's like I constantly g-get t-treated like I'm a piece of shit. So, unless I put up with my parents' shit, I cannot have my parents, and I cannot have a family!" More tears came to his eyes as the sobs continued to escape his throat.

"Alright, you don't have to do that tonight," Scott said.

"Do you want me to say something to them?" Jean asked him sympathetically.

Bobby nodded as he felt Scott's arm wrapping around his shoulders while Jean went inside the restaurant to talk with Bobby's mother and father. While Scott and Warren got the younger teen to Scott's car so that they could take him home, Jean entered the restaurant, only to see Bobby's mother and father preparing to leave.

"Where's Bobby?" Bobby's mother, Shannon, asked.

"He's upset, which is a given," Jean said. "But he told me this, and I think you need to hear this. He told me, "I work so hard, trying to make my parents feel proud of me. Why don't I get to enjoy it?" All he wants is acknowledgement. He just wants to hear that you guys give a crap about him, and what he's accomplished. He wants you to at least try. That's all he's asking for."

"But what he doesn't understand is, we need time," Shannon said. "This is new for us, too. He's my son; I love him."

"Then why don't you try saying it, maybe a little more?" Jean asked. "Look, I know this is hard for you to adjust to it all. But my parents; they're not here, because I'd lost them in a car crash. Life's short. I guess I'm just saying this, because I know that you love your son, and I just don't want you to have any regrets. You've got to make time for him, because he's a good kid."

Bobby's father, Louis, swallowed hard as he took in what Jean had to say. "I do love him. I don't hate him," he said. "Like Shannon said; I need time. I need time to adjust to Bobby being gay. You don't think I've imagined him marrying some nice girl, having children of his own like every other dad out there?"

"But by you pushing him away while you're trying to adjust to it, it's breaking his heart," Jean said. "Consider that this is hard for him, too. It took him a while to respect himself enough to tell you that he is gay. What I guess I'm asking is, can you at least try and work through it with him? Because I can tell that it's really important to him."

Louis breathed out a sigh. "After I figure it all out, after I have some time, yes, I will be willing to do that."

"Alright." Jean proceeded to exit the restaurant and went out to Scott's convertible, where Bobby was sitting in the back of the car with Warren. Jean slid into her seat next to him and grabbed his hand, squeezing firmly before reaching over and grabbing his head, placing a soft kiss to his forehead as Scott drove them back to X-Corporation.

* * *

**Up next: Savage Land, Savage Hearts**

**A/N: **

**I just wish to say, I am happy that today, I uploaded this issue number of all days. Not only is it the day before my 22nd birthday, but this is my favorite issue number to date from volume 2 that I'd written. We've only got a few more issues of volume 2 left, and before you know it, reflections for volume 2, as well as volume 3, are coming! - **

**DC-MarvelGirl 1997**


	16. Issue 36: Savage Land Savage Hearts Pt 1

_The X-men of X-Corporation strive to protect a world that does not want them in it due to their extraordinary mutations. However, the world proves to be a cruel one, with some families not accepting their children as they are. _

_Bobby Drake has experienced this recently during a family outing with his parents and grandparents the night of his fifteenth birthday. That evening, the youngest member of the X-men came out to his family as gay; his parents not having a most positive reaction to it. _

_However, one thing that the X-men cannot help but worry about is what Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are planning. Despite having Rogue under their belt as a member, the Southern mutant is unable to give them the answers they seek due to her having ran away from the Brotherhood before she could learn more._

* * *

**Issue 36: Savage Land, Savage Hearts Part 1**

**The Morlocks Lair – One Day Ago **

The murky, damp, muggy underground sewers of the Morlock tunnels were silent as a dorm house. But, for Callisto, she sat on her throne in the main part of her lair, leaning her head back.

Ever since losing to X-woman, Storm, the leader of the Morlocks had reluctantly agreed to a peace treaty of sorts between the Morlocks and the X-men. She wasn't the least bit pleased with it, but, some of her softer members such as Leech, Shatter and Marrow wanted to keep the peace, including X-woman Storm's younger cousin Spyke. However, Callisto was also more than willing to stay off the X-men's turf if they stayed away from hers.

Just as she was about to get some shut-eye, Callisto noticed Berserker and Scaleface coming forward.

"Callisto, we come to you with a rather urgent message," Scaleface said, in her full reptilian form.

"What is it, Scaleface? You know that I do not like to be interrupted at this hour of the night," Callisto said in a tone that was no less than annoyed.

"Well . . . we're here because someone here wishes to speak with you," Berserker said to her.

"Let them in. Thank you, you two," Callisto said. As Berserker and his lover backed out of the room, another person floated into the room, someone she hoped to never have to see.

"Magneto!" Callisto growled behind a clenched jaw.

"Now, now, now, Callisto, I come here in peace. I do not mean any harm to you or to your people," Erik Lehnsherr said in his soft tone.

"What do you want?" Callisto asked. "Because I can tell you that none of my Morlocks want anything to do with you or your surface dwellers."

"Funny, Callisto, you do know that we are essentially the same. I am merrily just looking to create a home of sorts for mutants, similarly to what it is that you do down here in this rather . . . _lovely _place," Magneto told her.

"Whatever home you're planning on creating for us, I'm pretty sure I'm not the least bit interested in it!" spat Callisto. "You know none of us can live on the surface, unlike _you, _who stands here high and mighty because you can pass off as a human!"

"I am not by any means a human, Callisto. No mutant is human. We are the superior to the human race; I think that you of all people can appreciate what it is that I am trying to achieve."

"I know of your exploits, Magneto. I know what your Brotherhood did to try and assault Senator Kelly all those months ago. I am also thoroughly aware that you released the Brotherhood from Alpha Flight's custody. But, what the hell is it that you are planning? Because as far as I can tell, the assault on the senator, and then you releasing that Juggernaut and the Brotherhood out, nothing adds up! What is your ultimate goal for mutantkind? Because I am _really _interested to hear it, and most definitely, I am interested to hear of some consistency."

"You see, Callisto, I've been planning something out for these past five months or so. Ever since the downfall of Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane on the island that they called Genosha, I've been working hard at a plan. And, I finally completed it. I am turning Genosha in to a safe haven for mutants, a place where all mutants can live in peace! Don't you want to be part of something such as that?" Magneto sounded quite persuasive. "I know for a fact that you are tired of being bullied, Callisto, for one thing. I know that you are beyond as sick of humanity as I am. Don't you want the chance to live on an island that can be your own country?"

Callisto sat there, taking it all in. "Well, what's the catch, Magneto? Because this all sounds rather tempting to me. It would be rather tempting to my other Morlocks such as Caliban and Berserker. I do not know so much about Shatter or Leech . . . after all, the two of them are up X-man Angel's ass."

"There is no catch, dear. Believe me when I say that this plan that I have is one that I feel could unite all mutants together against the tyranny of Senator Edward Kelly. I know for a fact that you do not want to see that man become our president. If he becomes president, then we might as well have our own country at this point! Do you want to be forced to register? Because if you do end up registering under the government, then all of your personal information will be at the hands of the government," Magneto told her.

"Of course I know of that! You think I do not know of that? But, Magneto . . . reason why I am hesitating to agree with you on something like this is because if you end up screwing me over," Callisto said.

"You won't be screwed over, Callisto. I can promise you that. We mutants have been screwed over by humanity for far too long. It's time that we create a new world," Magneto said. "So, are you and your Morlocks in?"

Callisto nodded. "What do you wish for us to do?"

* * *

**The Danger Room – Present Day **

The weeks after Rogue's recruitment into the X-men have passed by, and life continued on as the winter melted away into spring. However, there were things that did not change. Logan was still tough on Rogue, especially as he was coming around more and being at X-Corporation more often. If anything, Logan's visits were showing that he could write the book on holding grudges.

It was Saturday morning, and Logan had everyone in a Danger Room session at six A.M before Hank and Warren had to leave for work that morning and get down to the offices at Stark Pharmaceuticals. The fact that Logan had them up at the ass crack of dawn was proving that he was pushing them all harder than he usually did. And now, he was insisting that Forge and Cecilia Reyes joined in on the session, claiming that they had to stay sharp too when they were out in the field.

Currently, Logan had them in a scenario they were fighting the Brotherhood and the Juggernaut. It wasn't anything too difficult, given that the X-men proved that they could handle Cain Marko just fine. However, he added in Magneto and he added in his own enemy, Sabretooth, for good measure as well. Plus, Logan wanted the excuse to tear into a hologram of Sabretooth at that moment, because he found that he hadn't been able to track him for weeks.

Logan sniffed the air, using his nose to try and track down the hologram of Sabretooth, as he heard the voice of the feral mutant who seemed to follow him everywhere and make his life a living hell.

"C'mon, runt . . . time to come out and play!" the holographic image called out to him, taunting him.

Scott and Rogue were currently working together against the Blob while Jean was protecting Ororo and Bobby against the Juggernaut and Magneto. However, it was proving to be difficult on her considering that she was pushing her mind beyond its previous limits.

"Warren, we can use some back-up here!" Jean groaned as she felt her nose beginning to bleed and her head starting to pound. However, that was the moment Juggernaut smashed his overly-large fist into a nearby wall, causing the bricks to come tumbling down on top of her, Storm and Iceman.

"Storm!" Rogue yelled, flying over to the three of them as soon as she and Scott were done taking the Blob down. She went in, shoving the weather witch out of the way.

"Alright, team, Danger Room session for the morning is over," Logan announced to them. "Ya all completed the task at hand. Good work, everyone."

All of the X-men nodded, and they proceeded to leave the Danger Room to retire to their bedrooms, or in Warren, Hank, Cecilia and Forge's case, work. Ororo, Rogue and Jean rode in the same elevator upstairs.

"You okay, Ro?" asked Rogue as they rode the elevator together. "Ah mean . . . Ah did push ya outta the way. It's not like ya have the durability Ah've got."

"Yes, I'm okay, Rogue," Ororo replied back with a smile.

"Good to know, sugah," Rogue said with a nod of her head when they finally reached their floor where their bedrooms were located. Storm headed to her room to tend to her plants that she had added in there, while Jean escaped to the privacy of her own room so that she could work on looking at colleges that she could apply to in the fall. The fact that she was looking to become a doctor just like her late mother meant she had to enter the best medical school in New York. That was especially since she didn't want to be too far away from her new home. Just as Jean was about to sit at her desk to research medical schools in the area, she heard a knock at the door as Scott came into her room.

"Hey, Slim," she said as he sat on her bed.

"So, that session was something," Scott said to her.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I mean with Rogue, Logan is writing the book on holding grudges. But, you and I both know why he's so untrusting of her," Jean said.

"And who can blame him?" Scott asked. "But, I do hope he lightens up soon. Because the tension in the air is so thick right now; between Warren and I trying to counsel Bobby on his family problems, and you and Ororo trying to get closer to Rogue," he said.

"Come on, Scott. If we can survive years in an orphanage and a mental institution, we can survive through anything," Jean pointed out. "Besides, I know for a fact that Tony wants to talk to us about him and the professor supporting us through school. I mean, there are not too many kids out there who are fortunate to have anyone supporting them through school."

"Damn straight," Scott said. "Besides, I've been looking into potentially working with Stark Industries, or joining Alpha Flight. I mean, I want to be involved in the military, somehow, to make both my parents proud. I mean, I was reading this book the other day written about this guy named Jack Freeman who is a Green Beret. It talks about how he overcame all this shit in his life from needing to essentially raise himself, to being a drug dealer in his high school years, and eventually, he becomes a Green Beret. Just reading that book, I was thinking to myself: holy crap, I want do that. But since mutants can't be _in _the military since the United States has a Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for mutants, I'm going to have to figure out how I exactly want to serve my country. Honestly, at this point, I'll take a position as an agent for SHIELD."

"Follow in your mother's footsteps?" Jean asked him.

"Absolutely; you know that's what I'd want to do. I talked about that nonstop since I came here in the first place, Jean," Scott said. "Though, I do know for a fact that my father and my mother being in the military, they probably saw some weird stuff. My dad once told my brother and me this story about how he and several of his operatives had this mission where they went to this place called the Savage Land. I mean, this is a place in _Antarctica _of all places, which has _real-life _dinosaurs. I remember me and my brother begging Dad to take us there, and he was like, "I'll take you boys to Universal for the _Jurassic Park_ River Adventure, because the Savage Land is no place you two would want to go"."

"I can't believe a place like that exists," Jean said.

"Believe me, my dad showed me pictures as a kid. It's real; he ended up getting stuck there and he had to live off the meat of a T-Rex," Scott quipped. "And at the time, my mother was pregnant with me when he had been on that mission. Place that on top of pregnancy hormones, when my dad got home, my mother, she wanted to kill him over it."

Jean and Scott both laughed, unable to contain themselves. Jean had to wipe a tear from her eye.

"Oh God, I still can't believe it," she said.

Scott grinned at her, punching her shoulder lightly.

* * *

**Stark Pharmaceuticals – Hank's Lab **

The afternoon went by for Hank McCoy and Warren Worthington III. So far, over the course of the past month, the two found that their work at Stark Pharmaceuticals was moving along. They had managed to successfully produce mutant-friendly allergy medications, and now, they were hard at work creating mutant-friendly birth control.

Warren walked into Hank's lab, adjusting his tie which was around his neck.

"Okay, how are we looking here, Hank?" Warren asked.

"We're making progress, but, it's going slowly. But, patience is a virtue, my friend," Hank said with a smile.

"Well, good news is that our sales in the allergy medicine are boosting. And that's a great thing, because I can already feel my nose stuffing up," Warren said, gesturing to the windows outside.

"Yeah, we all are feeling that," Hank said as he continued to work.

Warren ran a hand through his hair. "Though, I can say, Hank, as far as our personal matters go, Logan is killing us with the six o'clock Danger Room sessions. Though, I can tell on Rogue, he's still tough," he said.

"Well, you know that Logan can write the book on holding grudges," Hank pointed out. "Though I do hope with Rogue, that he finds it in him to trust her, but, it will take him more time."

"How much time does the guy need?"

"They do not call him the Wolverine for nothing." Hank flashed a toothy smile in Warren's direction.

Warren chuckled. "Very true . . . but, Rogue's fitting in with us fairly well. And so far, she's not showing any signs of stabbing any of us in the back. And Jean and Ororo enjoy her company, and I can admit I can't get enough of her. She cracks me up she's the sassiest thing I've ever met. Well, I better get back to my office. Enjoy doing your research."

"Well, I do find researching for mutant-friendly medicine to be a better form of catharsis than ripping the walls out like an actual beast," Hank said with a smile again. "And later on tonight, I have to get to the eye clinic. My assistant, Alec, and I, we are close to finding a way to cure blindness."

"Hank McCoy you're already one step closer to making the world a better place," said Warren with a grin as he exited the lab to make his rounds that afternoon. However, just as he was about to enter his office, he was receiving a telepathic message from the professor.

'Calling all X-men . . . meet me in the planning room in twenty minutes.'

'Professor, Hank and I are at work –'

'No, Warren, I need everyone here . . . Logan included.'

Warren let out a sigh as he switched off his image inducer, knowing what he had to do. Entering his office, he opened his window and jumped out to soar towards X-Corporation Tower. When he and Hank arrived, they entered the war room to see Tony and Pepper in there along with the rest of the X-men, who were all in uniform, as well as Cecilia, Logan and Forge.

"What's the situation, Professor?" Warren asked, fluffing out his wings.

"Check out the news," Jean said as they turned their attention to a television that was there. The news footage showed Magneto and his Brotherhood, as well as a few Morlocks which included Clarice Ferguson, attacking a chemical factory.

"Oh _shit!_" Beast growled.

"Hank, did you just swear?" asked Bobby in shock. "And this is the guy who constantly tells me to watch _my_ mouth!"

"Yeah, I know, Hank McCoy cursed, it's not the end of the world," said Forge.

"Guys, this is serious!" Scott snapped, giving them all a look that they knew not to argue with. Already, Scott had been acting like a leader for the X-men, which meant that over the course of the past few months, he'd been growing more uptight than usual. Even Tony took notice to it.

"Indeed, Scott. We need to get to that chemical factory; you all know what to do. Get the civilians out of there, and watch yourselves as well. I'm coming with you," the professor said, wheeling out of the war room.

"Professor, are you _sure _about this?" Scott asked as he followed.

"Positive, Scott," the professor told them.

"Well, old man, I'm just telling you that if you guys find yourselves in a scuffle, don't expect me to come and save your asses," Tony said.

"Shut it, Tony!" groaned Rogue as they made their way to the jet. Scott got into the pilot's chair and took the wheel with Hank and the professor sitting at either side of him. Jean sat right behind him next to Cecilia and Rogue. Before they knew it, they were at the chemical factory located in Brooklyn.

Upon their arrival, they could see that the Morlocks and the Brotherhood were causing quite the scene, Clarice, who was going by the codename of Blink, was opening portals every which way allowing for Quicksilver to jump through at super speed. On top of that, they had Mystique in their arsenal as well.

"Damnit!" whispered Jean, unstrapping herself from her seat as she pulled her mask up and over her face.

"Alright, X-men, you have your objective. Let's go!" Cyclops announced, lowering the ramp to allow Marvel Girl, Rogue, Storm and Angel to fly out of the plan. Shortly after all of their fliers were out, he landed the jet down. Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Cecilia, Forge and Beast got out of the jet the old-fashioned way. Immediately, Wolverine wanted to go into the fray towards the Blob. However, that was the moment he saw someone else there. He saw someone who was muscular, blonde, and even more feral-looking than he was.

"Sabretooth!" Wolverine growled. He looked towards Marvel Girl and Cyclops. "MARVEL GIRL, FASTBALL SPECIAL LET'S GO!"

Marvel Girl nodded, using her powers to toss Wolverine towards Sabretooth.

"HHHHRRRR!" growled Wolverine, claws popped out as he landed on top of Sabretooth – Victor Creed. The two feral mutants proceeded to brawl right there.

"I'm guessing that's Sabretooth . . . I can see why Logan hates him," Marvel Girl said.

"Well, I guess that leaves us to clean up the mess, Red." Cyclops fired a concentrated optic blast as Blink, watching as Iceman and Angel went in to take out the Scarlet Witch. However, Magneto was proving to still be an issue. He was taking down the foundation of the whole chemical factory, seemingly with just a snap of his fingers and a cold glare on his face. Magneto allowed the bricks to topple down, but, unfortunately, Storm was nearby.

"ORORO!" Rogue shouted; flying in to shove Storm out of the way before the bricks could collapse down on her. "You alright, sugah?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Rogue, thanks to you," Storm said along heavy breaths as they saw Cecilia and Marvel Girl working against Avalanche and Kid Omega. Marvel Girl already had blood trickling down her nose as she found herself in a psychic battle against the purple-haired telepath, clearly pushing herself hard. Rogue flew in to take out Callisto, who was about to get the jump on Wolverine. Wolverine noticed this and gave Rogue a slightly gruff smile, but, that did not mean that it was all water under the bridge between them. Finally, by the time Beast managed to take out Mystique, everyone was standing around, panting for breath. However, they did not notice that Blink and Magneto were not alone.

"You're done, Magneto!" said Cyclops. "Storm, fry him!"

"Really? I thought you'd pay more attention in sophomore year science class, Cyclops. Electricity hitting a metal conductor?" asked Magneto in a smug tone.

"Magneto whatever ya have planned out Ah swear to God Ah didn't plan on stickin' around with the Brotherhood to find out!" Rogue shouted, glaring daggers at him.

"It really was a shame that you left, Anna-Marie, because you had so much potential. You could have been great in my little club," Magneto said with a bitter smile.

"Kiss mah ass!" spat Rogue, standing there tall in her green and yellow X-man uniform, still wearing her signature hunter green hooded jacket that she refused to be separated from.

"Not really a wise choice of words, Rogue," Magneto said. "But, it's funny enough that you all think that this is my ultimate plan. Believe me, it isn't."

"So what the fuck is yer plan, Mags?" shouted Wolverine.

"Oh you will find out, Wolverine . . . just not today. Gateway! Blink!" Before they knew it, a small, elder-looking man appeared, white-haired with a beard, and took his place beside Blink. "I thought I'd be generous enough to treat you X-men to a little last-minute getaway . . . including you Charles," Magneto said in a gloating tone as Professor Xavier came to be by his X-men. Before they all knew it, Blink opened up a portal, and one by one, all the X-men were grabbed unexpectedly by the mutant known as Gateway.

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU –?" shouted Marvel Girl in surprise as soon as she was grabbed. Before they all knew it, all of the X-men, including Professor Xavier, Wolverine, Cecilia Reyes and Forge were atop a snowy hill somewhere up north. There was a strong, freezing breeze that hit them immediately, smacking them in the fact with what felt like a burst of ice.

"Where the hell are we?" Iceman asked, the freezing air doing him a service as he kept his ice form around his body.

"I don't know. But I can tell you guys that this weather won't do my wings any good," Angel said, taking his mask off of his face as a shiver came over him.

Marvel Girl wrapped her arms tightly around her body, as if to protect herself against the cold. Her teeth chattered as she felt Beast's arms wrapped over her.

"T-Thanks Beast," she whispered behind chattering teeth that felt as though they were smashing into one another.

Suddenly, that was the moment they could hear Cyclops shouting the word, "FUCK!" at the top of his lungs.

"Scott, do you know where the hell we are right now?" asked Rogue.

Scott was looking down over the mountain, to see that down below them were a river and about a thousand, lush green trees, as well as a brachiosaur eating away on the crisp vegetation. The treetops were perfectly green and absolutely beautiful. There were stunning flowers that were vividly colorful. Triceratopses were drinking out of the sparkling river. There were pterodactyls flying through the air, letting out loud screeches. It was a sight that was breathtaking and awe-striking, but for Cyclops, he knew better than they did what this meant. He knew that if they were stuck here, it was a test of survival.

"I know exactly where we are! We're in the Savage Land!" Cyclops said in realization.

* * *

**Up next: Savage Land, Savage Hearts Part 2**

**A/N: The reference to Captain Jack Freeman is a reference to an OC created by MarvelMaster 616 for his X-men Supreme Series. He's generously given me his blessing to use his characters he's created, and for that, I'm forever grateful. He gets full credit for any OC mentioned, unless of course, if the OC is created by me in the future. **


	17. Issue 37: Savage Land Savage Hearts Pt 2

_The X-men have been brought together by Charles Xavier and Tony Stark in order to protect a world that hates and fears them for their mutations. However, this mission that they are on is on-going, met with many successes and failures. _

_One of these successes was fighting off against an underground group of mutants known to the world as the Morlocks, who had kidnapped their resident winged teammate, Warren Worthington III, as an act of misguided revenge. However, the Brotherhood has escaped the custody of Alpha Flight and has teamed up with the New York City Morlocks while Magneto seeks to build a homeland for mutants. _

_As a result, the X-men found that they were in a confrontation with Magneto, who ordered Morlocks Blink and Gateway to send the X-men on a little "vacation" to a place in Antarctica known as the Savage Land. Now, out in the middle of nowhere and lost, the X-men must find their way back home to put an end to Magneto's plans._

* * *

**Issue 37: Savage Land, Savage Hearts Part 2**

**The Savage Land **

"Shit, Cyke . . . of all the places I would never dream of visiting," Logan mused as he stood over the cliff next to his student. He stood there, taking in the sight.

The Savage Land was nothing more than a real-life Jurassic Park. The dinosaurs were so uncanny that it made Ororo and Jean's eyes widen with fascination. Never had they ever seen a place so beautiful and intriguing. Over on another snowy mountaintop, there were mastodons letting out noises of contentment. On another mountaintop, Sabre-toothed tigers were purring, licking their fur. The brontosaurs were eating from the trees. Pterodactyls were guarding their nests filled newborns. Stegosauruses were also eating away on the lush vegetation of the bushes beneath them, a contented look on their faces. Parasaurolophus were running freely towards the river to drink from it, as well.

"Wait, you _know _of this place?" asked Bobby incredulously.

"Every person who has ever served in the military at one point has heard of the Savage Land, Popsicle," Logan said dryly, pulling his Wolverine cowl off his face.

"Well, we have to find a way to get back," Anna-Marie said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Warren said in agreement as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Hank.

Logan and Scott stood over the cliff overlooking the Savage Land below. Thankfully, so far, the dinosaurs they were seeing thus far were vegetarians. What they didn't want to run into was a T-Rex or an orviraptor. The last thing that the X-men needed was to have to run for their lives being chased by vicious, ancient animals.

"My father told me about this place. He came here, once, and only once, due to the fact that he and several operatives had been sent here on a rescue mission. When he told me about it, I at first didn't believe that it was true," Scott said. "But then, he'd showed me photos. It's funny. As a kid, this was a place I could only dream of visiting. But now . . . all I can pray to God for is that we don't run into raptors."

"Well, there's no way for us to get back, unless someone here knows the coordinates home or if someone suddenly developed the mutant power of teleporting," Professor Xavier said.

"Well, let's be glad that the dinosaurs so far in our line of vision are vegetarian," Forge quipped.

"But it won't stay that way," pointed out Jean.

"That's why we have to find a way back home. We have got no way to contact anyone! No way that we have a comms connection out here. So, can we please focus on figuring out how the hell we can all get the hell out of the place and back to New York so we can find out what Magneto is planning? Because let me tell you, I do not want to have to be here long," Scott asked.

"Thank you, Scott, you spoke for me," Jean said.

Suddenly, that was the moment a portal opened, to reveal no one more than Gateway, Blink, Caliban, Callisto and Feral.

"Oh shit . . . did I mention I have got a severe cat allergy?" Forge asked.

"Forge, shut up!" Jean smacked his arm in exasperation.

"Goddammit, Callisto," Warren said angrily. "Are you _serious? _It goes from acting like a vigilante by causing property damage all over New York, to working with Magneto as his lapdog! Are you _ever _going to learn?"

"Angel, have you ever known me to be the type who just gives up easily?" Callisto asked.

"Callisto, we had a deal. You and I dueled, I won, and you stay away from us!" Ororo said, her eyes glowing white.

"I never make promises, Storm," Callisto said callously. "And, do you really think that Magneto would let Gateway and Blink drop all of you off here? Of course not. That would make it almost too easy."

That was the moment Scott and Jean were grabbed by Gateway and pulled into one of his portals. The two landed down on top of a tree which appeared to be a couple of hundred miles away from their previous location.

"GATEWAY!" Jean screamed as she and Scott fell down from the branches of the tree, tumbling down onto their backs and landing into a puddle of mud.

Gateway just simply stuck his tongue out at the two of them, going off to collect the others and separate everybody. Anna-Marie ended up getting stuck with Logan on the northern side of the Savage Land, Ororo was with the professor, Bobby and Warren were with Cecilia, and Hank was with Forge. Ororo and the professor ended up crashing into a stream. Bobby and Warren had landed in the middle of the jungles. Hank and Forge had crashed into some bushes.

"Crap!" Jean groaned as Scott helped her to her feet.

"Crap is right. We-We have to find the others. We have to find a way to get into communication with Tony or Rhodey . . . or even Nick Fury, or Alpha Flight," Scott panted.

"C'mon, we should get moving," Jean said to him.

"Agreed," Scott said. They trudged along through the jungles of the Savage Land, passing a stegosaurus nest filled with babies, which were being guarded by a mother stegosaurus. The mother stegosaurus looked at them, as though she were somehow surprised that they were there.

Jean cast the dinosaur a glance. "Yeah, we can't believe we're here, either," she said.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Tony's Office **

"Old man . . . Logan . . . Slim? Anyone on comms?" Tony asked.

Ever since he saw the live news coverage of the X-men being taken by two teleporters, Tony found that he was trying to get in contact with his X-men for the past twenty minutes or so. The fact that their comms were seemingly offline concerned him greatly.

"Goddammit, c'mon you guys, this isn't funny right now! Forge, you dipshit pick up! Hank – Furball, answer to your Goddamn comm link already," Tony yelled into the line.

Pepper walked into the office, a look of worry and concern permeated on her face. "Tony, I saw the news footage. Have you had any luck contacting the X-men?" she asked.

"No, Pepper, if I _did _I'd be in communications with them right now," Tony exclaimed; the frustration evident in his tone as he shook his head. "I don't know where they are . . . and if their comms are down, that means that their tracking systems are offline! And, the professor is the only one who can use Cerebro. So unless you know any other psychics anywhere –!"

"Tony, Tony, slow down! Relax," Pepper hollered. "Okay? Because you being a nervous wreck right now isn't going to do the X-men any good! Besides, any situation that they happen to be in, they can take care of their selves. Okay? Worst case scenario, we call the members of Alpha Flight or even Nick Fury at SHIELD to track them."

Tony let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, Pepper, you're right, you're right. It's just . . . _I'm _the one responsible partially for those kids! God forbid I have to deal with Bobby's mother and father chewing my head off for their son being missing."

Pepper felt the shock and surprise sinking in. The fact that Tony was so worried over the X-men and their safety was something that surprised her. It seemed as though for once, Tony was not thinking about himself or his bottom line. He was actually concerned and scared for the X-men's well-being and he actually cared.

"Tony, did I just hear you essentially say that you care about them?" asked Pepper in astonishment.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Pepper . . . I just . . . I might not show it all the time, but those kids; I _do _care about them; not just about their future as assets to this company. They – They're part of a legacy. _My _legacy," he said. "I just – if something happens to them, or to the professor, it's on _me. _It's on my shoulders. Professor Xavier, he's not just a mentor to me; he's the father I never had."

"Tony, if anything does happen to them, it's not on you," Pepper tried to say.

"But _I _was part of the reason why they became the X-men. _I _designed their uniforms, their holowatches, everything that is a trademark to the X-men, was designed by _me!_" Tony said. "I put them in this position."

"But, they did it because they _wanted _to. It was all their choice, Tony," Pepper said, stepping forward to take his hands into hers. "Listen, you cannot just blame yourself. We _will _find a way to get them all home safe. Alright?"

Tony sighed. "Okay." He watched as Pepper sauntered out of his office, leaving him with his thoughts.

* * *

**The Savage Land – One Hour Later**

"ARRGH! I fucking hate mosquitoes!"

"Well _Ah _hate the sounds of you bitchin' 'bout it, Logan, so we're both even."

For the past hour or so, Logan "Wolverine" Howlett and Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto found themselves pushing their way through the tall grasses and bushes of the Savage Land, panting for breath and so desperate for water they were drinking out of the streams.

However, despite needing to rely on one another for survival, Logan still didn't trust Anna-Marie in the slightest. Ever since she had knocked his girlfriend comatose, Logan had been highly reluctant to even let Anna-Marie breathe on him.

"Quiet, Rogue!" snapped Logan as he cut his way through bushes using his claws. "We gotta find the others. This place is so huge, I don't even know if I can get into telepathic communication with Jeannie. We're in deep shit!"

"Ya think Ah don't know that, Wolverine?" Anna-Marie groaned as she followed him. "Besides, Ah I know ya hate meh. Ya can say it!"

"Fine then, kid! I'll say it. I don't hate ya, but, that _doesn't _mean that I trust ya."

"Well, we're stuck in this together. So ya better set your bitterness for meh aside, _sugah!_" spat Anna-Marie with a glare on her face as they pushed their way through.

The two continued on in silence, the tension thick between the two of them. Rogue let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, if it's any comfort to ya, Logan, Ah don't wanna be here anymore than ya do," Anna-Marie said to him.

"No, it ain't any comfort fer me, kid," Logan said to her.

"Quit calling meh "kid" Logan!" Rogue groaned.

"Well, that's what yer actin' like right now! Yer not an adult, Anna-Marie, yer a child," Logan hollered at her as he cut his way through another bush.

"What do Ah have ta do ta get your respect?"

"Ya have to earn it."

"Oh please! You're up Scott and Jean's asses. Everyone knows they're your favorites," shouted Anna-Marie in bitterness.

"That's not –!" Logan started to growl. But then he stopped there. He had a soft spot in his heart for Scott and Jean, but, he did not treat them any differently than the others. "That cannot be further from the truth, kid! Scooter and Jeannie, they may have a special spot in my heart, but, I am just as tough on them as I am with the others. I do not treat them any differently," he decided to say.

"Like how you treat _meh _differently than the others?" Rogue asked cynically.

"Well, I'm sorry. I just find it hard to trust people who use to work fer the enemy who attacked my girlfriend!" said Logan.

"How many times do Ah have ta apologize for that? Ah regret havin' done that. Okay? Ah was the one that had ta have her in my head screamin' at meh! Ain't that enough punishment towards meh for mah actions, which Ah have already owned up ta havin' done?" Rogue asked as she trudged along.

The Wolverine growled quietly. He knew that Anna-Marie was genuinely sorry for what she had done to Carol, but, Logan couldn't bring himself to forgive her. He just couldn't believe that Rogue was a changed person. They both just continued to walk along in silence, hoping to find traces of the professor or even Scott and Jean. The Savage Land was so vast and enormous, that it could take them both weeks to find everybody.

As Anna-Marie and Logan walked along, Logan sniffed the air for any signs of any of the other X-men or any kind of danger that was nearby. Letting out a heavy puff, Logan suddenly found that he was wishing for a cold beer or a cigar. However, that was the moment they could hear a growl.

"Logan, Ah am hopin' that that was ya!" Rogue whispered.

"No, it wasn't me, kid," Logan said. Suddenly, they both turned around to see raptors standing behind them. "Watch yerself!" he warned her, however, that was when the raptors went in for the kill. Luckily, thanks to Rogue's enhanced strength, she managed to shove the vicious dinosaurs away from them with just a punch.

"C'mon, let's go!" she called out, and they took off through the jungles. Logan shared a look with her.

"Thanks fer that," he said to her.

Rogue nodded as they continued to run, hoping to lose the raptors which they knew would be on their tails if they stuck around.

* * *

**Two Hours Later **

"Okay, okay, I can officially say it. I hate nature! I hate nature!" Bobby said as he, Warren and Cecilia swam through a river, passing triceratopses drinking from the stream. However, despite the racket Bobby was making, the triceratopses didn't even seem to mind as one of them went to graze in the grasses peacefully.

"Shut up, Bobby!" yelled Warren in frustration as they continued to swim along the riverbed. "In case you hadn't noticed, a trip to the Savage Land is not really my idea of the ideal vacation either! But, we came here without a choice."

"The both of you quiet," Cecilia said.

"Sorry, Dr. Reyes," groaned Bobby as they finally found land. Their uniforms were soaked with river water as they trudged through the jungles.

"Well, we're going to have to find some way to get some food and some shelter. Soon enough, it'll be nightfall. And we do not want any surprises as we're sleeping. I just hope that the others are having better luck," Warren said.

"Agreed," said Cecilia.

* * *

**Three Hours Later**

"Professor, can you reach out to Jean telepathically?" Ororo asked as she pushed the professor's wheelchair along through the jungles.

"As far as I can tell, Ororo, she is too far away and out of reach for me to call out to her. The Savage Land is so vast," Xavier said. "We'll need to continue on foot and look for the others. We've got very few options right now."

Ororo breathed out a sigh. "I just hope that the others are alright," she said.

"Believe me, Ororo. I know my X-men. I know what it is that they are capable of," Xavier said, having faith that the rest of his students were alright.

* * *

**Four Hours Later **

Before they knew it, nightfall was upon them, but, for Scott Summers and Jean Grey, they found that constantly needing to lean on and support each other meant needing full trust in one another.

They were both roughed up, their uniforms torn from walking through trees, branches and bushes. Their hair was soaking wet from needing to swim along a river. They needed to live off of wild berries, considering that there were no dinosaurs around that they could hunt off of. Additionally, the two were emotionally and physically exhausted, having just fought off a T-rex that had cornered them.

_"SCOTT!" _Jean had screamed out as the T-rex smacked Scott into the stream with its tail. She'd ran over to him, keeping a telekinetic shield around her as she leaned a hand onto his arm. _"Scott? Are you okay?!" _

_"I . . . yes, I'm fine, Jean," _Scott had told her, taking her hand before firing a wide optic blast at the T-rex.

_"God, Slim, you scared me. Don't do that ever again! You hear me? Never again!"_

_"I will keep that in mind, Red."_

But now, the two teenagers were lying in the grasses on the grounds of the Savage Land, catching their breath after such an exhausting seven hours of constantly looking over their shoulders. Luckily, the only dinosaurs sleeping near them currently were brontosauruses, curled up beside each other and protecting their newborn babies.

Jean knew that she had to contact the professor to let him know where they were, but, they didn't even know where he was, or who was with him at that moment. For Jean, her mind was spent. She was exhausted after having needed to spend so many hours pushing her way through this strange place. All she knew was that she needed to sleep before she made an attempt at contacting anybody.

"Wow . . . I just . . . I cannot believe this," she whispered as she leaned her head on Scott's chest. Staring up at the night sky, she was taken with how peaceful it was. The stars were so clear . . . so bright. Never once did Jean see the night sky looking the way that it did.

"Yeah, Jean, me neither. Who would have guessed that this would happen?" asked Scott as he hugged her close to him.

"I just – I just hope that the others are okay," Jean whispered.

"They'll be alright Jean. Logan and Carol trained us for situations like this where we need to rely on each other for survival. If we can get through that kind of training, we can get through this," Scott breathed to her.

"I hope you're right, Slim." Jean turned her focus to the night sky, the stars twinkling down. "Though, I've got to say, besides being chased down by a T-rex, and swimming through an alligator-infested stream . . . this place is actually quite beautiful, at night that is. We don't get to see anything like this in New York."

"Yeah, I can concur with that," Scott declared in agreement, stroking her soaking wet hair. "Though I am not sure if this is a place I'd like to visit again."

The two friends shared a laugh, grinning at one another with their faces inches away from each other.

Jean snuggled further into his arms, sighing as she felt an odd sense of peace coming over her. However, she let out a deep yawn of exhaustion as her eyes began to softly flutter.

"Get some sleep. I'll keep look-out. We'll both take shifts, alright?" Scott offered her. "I'll wake you in a couple hours."

"Yeah, yeah, I agree." Jean yawned again, and Scott laid her down into the grass gently, where Jean proceeded to fall asleep in an instant, out like a light. Scott knew that there was no waking her up.

"Sweet dreams, Red," he whispered in her ear as he sat on the ground to keep watch of their surroundings.

* * *

**Up next: Savage Land, Savage Hearts Part 3**


	18. Issue 38: Savage Land Savage Hearts pt 3

_Recruited to the company of X-Corporation by Tony Stark and Charles Xavier, the X-men are determined to protect a world that hates and fears mutants – which is exactly what they are working towards every day. _

_Their recent act of trying to protect humans against mutant extremists was a battle against Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, determined to find out what his plans for the world are. Magneto's plans included recruiting the less-than-peaceful members of the New York City Morlocks. _

_Two of these Morlocks members, Gateway and Blink, have teleported our heroes to a place known to the world as the Savage Land – a prehistoric area of Antarctica where dinosaurs continue to roam. However, Gateway and Blink have decided to make it even more of a challenge for the X-men, and separated them from one another. _

_Now, our heroes are forced to rely on one another for survival. This led to a heated discussion between Wolverine and Rogue, and an intimate moment for Cyclops and Marvel Girl. However, Tony Stark's guilt is additionally exercised as he begins realizing that he needs to take more responsibility for his actions._

* * *

**Issue 38: Savage Land, Savage Hearts Part 3**

**Genosha – Magneto's Citadel **

It had been exactly three weeks since Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants had banded together with the Morlocks to send Charles Xavier and the X-men off on a little "vacation" to the Savage Land. And since then, the new developments on the island of Magneto's new home, Genosha, have been smooth sailing.

Magneto stood in the halls of his citadel, looking out the windows overlooking the island. For a time period, the island of Genosha had been used as a place to discriminate against mutants and experiment on them illegally. Now, the master of magnetism couldn't help but smile as he overlooked the work being done on his island. His Brotherhood and the Morlocks were already building the island up, and they didn't even work for Tony Stark. He marveled at the sight of mutants who had previously been captured on Genosha by Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane. Mutants such as Alex Summers, Rusty Collins and Megan Gwynn were already fitting in just fine. In fact, Erik Lehnsherr had approached Alex about a week prior about living on Genosha, considering the fact that Alex's foster family, the Marsters, had been getting such severe harassment from neighbors.

However, Magneto also knew that his work of exposing the hatred that humanity had for mutants wasn't over. In fact, he was not by any means done yet. The scene he had caused with the Morlocks at the chemical factory had only been a distraction from what his ultimate goal was.

"Father?" a voice asked behind him. He turned to see Wanda, his daughter, standing there before him, wearing her red cape and matching headdress.

"My dear Wanda, I see that things here on Genosha are actually moving along quite smoothly," Erik couldn't help but tell her in pride.

"Yes, they are. Even Pietro is hard at work," said Wanda. "However, are you going to tell Lorna that you're –?"

"No, not yet, dear . . . she's still adjusting to her life here. After all, I had gotten her out of that mental hospital she had been staying in, which had been more like a prison than anything else," Erik said. "However, I do have to say that getting the X-men out of our hair for a while was just step one. Step two; well . . . let me show you."

Wanda Maximoff followed her father down the hallways towards their war room, breathing out a heavy sigh. She knew that what they had done with the X-men had been necessary, but, she couldn't help but feel badly about Rogue, whom she had gotten close to when Rogue had been with them. She remembered seeing the look in the younger girl's eyes after Rogue had absorbed Carol Danvers' powers, and that she must've been so scared.

'God . . . Rogue, I'm sorry I haven't –' Wanda couldn't help but think to herself. 'I just feel I should have thought more about you . . .'

Before she knew it, Wanda and her father were in the war room, staring at the vast amounts of computer monitors that were there in the room. However, what struck her the most was what she was seeing on the computer monitors. It appeared to be the footage from security cameras of a bank, of all things.

"Father, what exactly is this?" asked Wanda.

"Phase two in our plan of taking back mutants' rights," Erik told his daughter. "You see, dear daughter, this bank here is not just any bank. It is Risman Financial . . . if you've heard anything about them through the dark web, then, you would know exactly what Matthew Risman has done to try and oppress our people."

Wanda's light brown eyes grew wide as she heard this information. "Well, what is it that you are expecting us to do, Father?" she asked him. "Expose them? Because if this was why you decided to have the Morlocks and Gateway send them away on a vacation to the Savage Land . . ."

"Indeed, Wanda," Erik said, leaning a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "It's time for us to make a new world."

* * *

**The Savage Land **

Over the course of the three weeks of being in the Savage Land, the X-men found that their fight for survival was proving to be the hardest battle that they had ever gotten in. Needing to constantly depend on one another led into them needing one-hundred percent trust.

Somehow, along the way after a week of being in the Savage Land, Ororo and Professor Xavier managed to find Hank and Forge. However, in that moment, Forge was probably going to end up having PTSD if they ever got out of the Savage Land.

"I swear . . . if I see another T-Rex –!" Forge cried as they ran off from a T-Rex that had attempted at eating them as its late afternoon snack.

"Forge, please!" Storm said in exasperation as they moved through tall blades of grass. "Can we just focus on finding the others, please? Professor, have you had any luck getting into contact with Jean?"

"Yes, I have, and I managed to contact Logan, too, but, without Cerebro, I cannot pinpoint their location," Xavier said as Hank wheeled him through the Savage Land.

"Fall seven times and stand up eight," Hank said simply.

"Hank McCoy, the walking fortune cookie," Forge said as picked at a piece of dinosaur meat that he had managed to salvage.

"Well, we better find them soon, or at least some way to get into contact with Tony," said Ororo. "I'm wondering if he's looking for us right now."

"Believe me, Ororo, I know Tony. He's like a second son to me; he doesn't show it often, but, he has a heart," Xavier said. "Trust me when I say that Tony is probably looking for us right now."

"How many weeks have we been here anyway?" asked Forge.

"Best I can tell, three weeks," said Ororo.

"How can you tell?" asked Hank as they made their way through the jungles.

"When you live life as a thief for so many years, you learn a thing or two about tracking days, weeks and months," Ororo. "I just hope that the others are holding up alright."

"I am sure that they are doing just fine, Ororo," Professor Xavier told her. "I have faith that the rest of my X-men can handle themselves just fine in situations such as this."

* * *

**Twenty Minutes Later**

"SCOTT!" Jean Grey screamed out, grabbing Scott Summers by the hand. Straining, Jean could feel Scott sinking in deeper into the quicksand he'd fallen into.

"Jean!" Scott gasped as his throat tightened. He was struggling to get out of the quicksand, the substance up to his neck with only his head exposed. He choked, his hand slipping from Jean's.

Jean forcefully tightened her grasp on Scott's hand, closing her eyes as she focused her telekinesis towards Scott's sinking body. She grabbed Scott's forearm with her other hand, tugging as hard as she could managed until finally, Scott came crawling out of the quicksand, choking hard. Jean knelt next to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Oh, my God, are you okay?!" she asked her best friend wildly.

Scott coughed hard, before gasping out, "I . . . I'm okay. I'm okay . . . thanks."

"You would have done the same for me," Jean breathed, stroking his face gently as Scott returned her embrace. The two closed their eyes, breathing sighs of relief.

"But I swear to God you scared me so much," Jean whispered. "I thought I lost you!"

"I'm okay, Jean. I promise. Thank you, for saving my life," Scott told her, stroking her hair.

"I would die for you if necessary," Jean told him.

"Likewise. I don't think I could survive without you," Scott breathed.

"I guess great minds think alike, Slim," Jean whispered, chuckling as she buried her face into Scott's neck. "I don't think I would have been able to live through these weeks without you, either."

* * *

**Five Minutes Later **

Time in the Savage Land over the past three weeks for Logan Howlett and Anna-Marie D'Ancanto proved that any bitterness that they may have had for each other in the past was a steaming pile of crap. Needing to constantly rely on and support each other to survive put things into perspective for the two of them.

As the two pushed their way through tall blades of grass and bushes throughout the Savage Land, it seemed as though somehow, Logan and Anna-Marie working together had erased their trust issues. They needed to trust each other completely in order to survive. It was one of the many things Logan had taught the X-men when he had started training them. And now, he was seeing that he did something right.

Logan and Rogue continued to hike along, their breathing heavy as they looked for water and food. Looking up at the skies above, Logan could tell that it was at least late afternoon. That meant that they had to find a spot to stop and rest for a while before looking for more food.

"Alright, kid, we better find a place to stop and rest. After all, yer not the one with a healing factor despite yer durability," Logan said to her.

Rogue nodded. "Agreed, sugah," she said.

As they walked along, Logan and Anna-Marie continued to try and find a relatively safe spot to sit and catch their breath. However, that was when Rogue heard Logan let out a loud yell on surprise and shock.

"AHHH!" When Rogue turned around, she saw that Logan had fallen into a pool of quicksand.

"LOGAN!" she screamed out in panic, suddenly reaching over to grab hold of his arm in an effort to pull him out.

'Mah God . . . if he dies, Cyke and Jean will kill meh,' Rogue thought. After five minutes of struggling, with one last tug, she managed to pull Logan out. The two sat there on the ground, panting.

"Thanks, kid," Logan told her roughly.

"No problem," she replied back to him, closing her eyes as they got up off of the ground. Suddenly, that was when they heard the sound of branches and twigs crunching underneath someone's feet. Thinking it to be some sort of animal, Logan and Rogue instantly took a defensive stance. However, when they saw who had turned the corner, they saw it was Scott and Jean.

"Cyke, Jeannie!" Logan yelled, rushing towards his students.

"Logan!" Jean instantly ran up, throwing her arms around him in surprise. She was relieved and happy to see someone familiar. However, when she realized what she had been doing, she pulled away, suddenly embarrassed.

"Good to see ya too, Red," Logan said, patting her head affectionately. He was relieved that Scott and Jean were safe and sound, and that at least they had stuck together through the past three weeks. He couldn't be prouder of the both of them.

"Good to see the two of you," Anna-Marie said in relief, hugging Scott quickly.

"Same here," said Scott.

"Okay, this reunion is sweet and all, but we better find Chuck and the others. Jeannie, have ya been in contact with the prof?" Logan asked as they walked along together.

"Yeah, yeah, I have, but, I don't know his location. I mean, I wouldn't be able to do something like that without Cerebro, and the professor hasn't trained me on how to use it yet. So unless Tony has found someone who can access Cerebro, I'd say our chances of getting out of here are pretty low," Jean said as she moved to stand beside Scott.

"Well, we better work on finding everybody else and regroup. It's clear that those Morlocks didn't wanna make this easy fer any of us because it's clear that they're just lookin' to distract us while Mags does whatever it is he is plannin'," Logan said.

"Agreed." Scott nodded along, and all four proceeded hike their way through the jungles. However, Logan and Rogue watched Scott and Jean and saw how close the two seemed to be with each other. In fact, the two were holding hands. It was clear to Logan that his two students had gotten a lot closer during their time of needing to survive together.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – Cerebro Chamber**

Tony Stark found that he was pacing back and forth in the Cerebro chamber, nervous over the fact that he hadn't been contacted by the X-men for a total of three weeks. The fact that they had all gone missing thanks to Magneto was something that concerned the young, billionaire playboy deeply. He didn't often say that he cared, but, he did care. He wasn't _that _much of an asshole.

Finally, after having searched for a total of two weeks, Tony finally decided to make a call to Nick Fury at SHIELD, hoping that maybe, just maybe Fury had the resources to find the X-men. When Fury had told Tony that he had an agent who was a telepath, it made the young man feel nothing but relief over that.

Suddenly, that was when the doors to the Cerebro room opened up, to reveal Nick Fury standing there with Natasha Romanoff, and a young, Native-American woman who looked no older than twenty years old.

"Mr. Stark," Natasha said as she stood there. She shook his hand to greet him.

"Agent Romanoff," said Tony. He turned to face the young woman who would be manning the Cerebro helmet.

"Mr. Stark, this is my agent, Danielle Moonstar," said Colonel Fury as the young woman made her way to sit down and use Cerebro.

"I take it that you're a telepath?" asked Tony.

"Yes," said Danielle as she took the helmet into her hands. "I grew up on a Cheyenne reservation in Colorado; my mutant powers of telepathically projecting fears of others as well as myself manifested upon seeing my mother and father get mauled by a bear. However, it was that moment Colonel Fury and Natasha Romanoff found me, and they offered to train me to be an agent for SHIELD when I was sixteen," she explained as she placed the Cerebro helmet onto her head.

Closing her eyes, Danielle was hit with the sensation of seeing every single mind in the world. It was quite the overwhelming sensation for a psychic as young as Danielle was, but, she seemed to have a good grasp on it from what Tony could tell. After about two minutes, the young telepath let out a gasp as she took the helmet off.

"I-I found them; they're in the Savage Land," she said, breathing heavily.

"Alright, we've got the coordinates for that location. Let's get moving, kid," Fury said.

Natasha went over to Danielle. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Danielle nodded. "Yes . . . it was just so overwhelming," she explained as they left the Cerebro room together to get on the SHIELD quinjet. Upon entering, Tony found that passing the medical bay was a hard thing to do. He could see that Carol Danvers was still deep in a coma, relying on machines to keep her alive. The quinjet proceeded to fly towards the Savage Land, but, for Tony, he was sitting near the computer monitors, reflecting on the fact that the X-men had gone missing, and that the location they were in was a place with dinosaurs. Natasha was sitting near him, her legs crossed as she toyed with a handgun.

"You okay over there, Tony?" Natasha asked him in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay . . . it's just . . . the X-men, I'm worried and I'm concerned. They've been missing for three weeks, and I know for a fact that Magneto is planning something big. But what it is, we do not know. Even Rogue doesn't know. And on top of that, the professor is with them," he said. "In a lot of ways, the professor is more of a father to me than my own biological father was."

"Yeah, I know you probably feel that Tony, but, how you might feel about your old man cannot be further from the truth," Fury said as he sat down across from Tony and Natasha.

"Oh, like _you _knew him any better? He was cold, he was calculated, he never told me that he loved me . . . when I was in middle school he shipped me off to boarding school," Tony said bitterly.

"Actually, I did know him better. In fact, he had been one of the founding members of SHIELD," Fury said. "And sure, he accomplished a lot in his young life, such as building Captain America's shield during World War II, but, when he started SHIELD, he had the country's best interest at heart. In fact, he had started something called the Avengers' Initiative. It was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, and see if they can become something more. And I would say, Tony that you have already started doing just that when you and Professor Xavier started the X-men."

Tony sat there, taking in what Nick Fury had to say as they continued to fly towards the Savage Land. Just hearing the fact that his father had founded SHIELD was something that surprised him greatly. Tony always wondered why his father had never been around that much when he was a young child, but, now he knew.

'Damn . . . Dad, you really did it,' he thought as he continued sitting there in silence.

* * *

**Savage Land **

Down in the jungles of the Savage Land, Bobby Drake, Cecilia Reyes and Warren Worthington III continued to fight to the death of survival, looking for the other members of the X-men. Needing to go at living in a jungle filled with dinosaurs for a total of three weeks was draining on all of them. But, for Cecilia, Bobby and Warren, they were the only group that hadn't managed to find the others.

"God, I really, really do hope that the others are having better luck than we are right now," Bobby panted out.

"Yeah, agreed, me too," said Warren as he and Bobby sat there on the grassy jungle floors. Cecilia was off looking for some sort of food for them to sustain themselves for another couple hours. Warren turned to look in Bobby's direction. "Bobby, have you been alright lately? Because it seems as though ever since you came out, you've been . . . you haven't been yourself."

"Yeah, I'm alright. I mean, other than the fact that my parents hadn't called me or answered any of my phone calls," Bobby said bitterly.

"No, Bobby, do not do that. It's been nearly four weeks since the fifteenth birthday party from hell for you. You're not okay, I can see it," Warren insisted. "Nobody just gets over something like that. I saw you that night you had a complete mental breakdown. Jean was terrified for you."

"Warren, I just have to accept the fact that my parents cannot accept me as I am right now." Bobby suddenly found a small group of ants on the ground more interesting. But, Warren could tell that the younger X-man was on the brink of tears.

"It still hurts you?" he asked, moving to put an arm around Bobby's shoulders to try and comfort him.

Bobby nodded, swallowing the lump out of his throat. He was sick of crying over his mother and father. He'd shed so many tears the night of his birthday. He'd thrown up over it, and gotten himself sick over it even after that day passed. But his eyes misted over with tears that began falling. Bobby felt Warren pulling him in closer.

"I know it's tough to accept," murmured Warren.

"I just . . . I want to feel good enough for them," Bobby admitted. "I want to be happy when I'm around them, and I'm not."

Warren nodded. "I know. I see that," he said. "But trust me when I say that you are going to be fine. You have a home; you're not out on the streets like I was."

Bobby nodded in agreement. He turned his face up to look at Warren. "Thank you," he said, turning as he and Warren hugged. They were then pulled out of their thoughts over Bobby's parents by Cecilia coming over to them.

"Hey, Bobby, Warren, looks as though somebody's watching over us," she told them.

Warren and Bobby got up from the ground and looked over their heads to see what appeared to be a SHIELD quinjet over them.

"Tony Stark, you son of a bitch," Warren whispered with a grin on his face as he watched the quinjet land down on the ground. The three mutants entered the aircraft to see the rest of the X-men already there.

"About time you showed up," Bobby said to Tony.

"What did you think I was doing, kid? Shooting the breeze?" Tony quipped as he watched Bobby take a seat.

"Okay, I'm officially going to say that I have had enough of nature for the rest of my life! I mean, I missed a class field trip to see an exhibit of radioactive spiders at Dr. Curt Connors' laboratory in Oscorp! I may not be that into science, but the way Peter was describing it, man, he made me _want _to be there," Bobby said.

"Well, I am sorry you missed it, Bobby, but we've got pressing matters to attend to," Professor Xavier said. "We must figure out exactly what Magneto's ultimate goal was. Because his attack on the chemical factory was just a distraction, and him sending us here was clearly his way of making sure that we are out of his way. Tony, have you heard anything in the news while we were on our rather unexpected vacation?"

"No, old man, I haven't," Tony said.

"Rogue, I know that ya don't know much kid, but, ya've gotta know at least somethin'," Logan said as he took his seat.

"Ah don't know much," Anna-Marie said. "All Mystique kept on tellin' meh was that Magneto was gonna build a new home for the Brotherhood, and for mutants everywhere . . . she kept sayin' that we were gonna make a new world. But, if the Brotherhood are goin' to this "new home" that Mystique speaks of, Ah don't know where it could possibly be."

"You couldn't have stuck around them for a few more weeks to find out more?" asked Bobby, exasperated. Jean elbowed him in the ribs.

"Oh, Ah don't know? Ah was scared outta mah mind because Ah just absorbed Ms. Marvel?" Rogue asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, good point there," Jean said as she sat in her seat, Scott massaging her shoulders. "But, right now, all I want is a shower and to sleep in my own bed!"

"I'll second that," said Warren.

"Well, you all might want to reconsider that, because I think we've got our answer as to what Magneto has been up to since he sent us here," Hank said, turning his attention to the news which was playing on the quinjet.

"_We have to cut to a breaking news story which is being shown nationwide. Right now, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and their leader, Magneto, are believed to have broken into Risman Financial, with the bank's founder, Matthew Risman, admitting publicly to the world that his bank is the one primarily responsible for having provided the financial backing to Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane to experiment on mutants on the island known as Genosha. This plan that Hodge and Stane have had had been foiled by the mutant group known as the X-men, who have exposed their identities to the world nearly six months ago revealing that the X-men are indeed the legal wards of X-Corporation founder Charles Xavier. What Magneto's ultimate plan is, we are not sure, but, he keeps on saying that he wishes to "create a new world". What does he mean by this? What could this mean for the people of this nation? We will return after _General Hospital_ is finished. Gail Bendis, Eye Witness News." _

"Clearly, that was Kid Omega's dirty work," Anna-Marie whispered.

"If Magneto keeps up like this, then mutants will no doubt need their own country!" Ororo said, clenching her fists.

"And I have got quite the hunch of what place he is planning on making into his new home," spat Logan, popping out a single claw from his fist. "What was the place that was used to oppress mutants and illegally experiment on 'em?"

"Genosha," Hank whispered in realization. "By stars and fucking garters," he added.

* * *

**Up next: Revolution **


	19. Issue 39: Revolution

_Everyday, the X-men are tasked with saving and protecting a world that doesn't want them part of it. Part of this mission is to fight against those who are mutant extremists, most notable, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Magneto. _

_Recently, Magneto and his Brotherhood teamed up with the Morlocks to send all the X-men away on an impromptu "vacation" to the Savage Land. Upon being separated from one another, the X-men had to learn what it meant to rely on each other for survival. As a result, Rogue and Wolverine have begun to mend their hostility toward each other, and Scott Summers and Jean Grey have seemingly grown closer into something more. _

_Now, the X-men must go to the island of Genosha to rescue Matthew Risman, a man who was responsible for financially backing Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane in their quest to "cure" mutant children._

* * *

**Issue 39: Revolution**

**Risman Financial – One Hour Ago **

Risman Financial prided itself to be one of the most well-known banks in the city of Manhattan. However, what most probably did not know was that Risman Financial also had its share of skeletons hidden in the closet, especially about the organizations that it supported financially.

Matthew Risman, owner of Risman Financial, was a business man with intelligence so sophisticated and high-level, he could make supposed "geniuses" like Tony Stark look like amateurs. He could remember back all those months ago in November, nearly six months prior, when he'd met with Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane, who had approached him about being a financial backer for their side project.

"_Absolutely, gentlemen, you know what my convictions are. You know I'm seeing how mutants are the cause of so much of our problems today in America. Does Warren Jr. know about this?" _he'd asked at the time.

"_He has no idea. We have a feeling if he did have an idea of what we're doing with his cure, then he won't want to support us financially even though this project is something we feel he'd have an appreciation for," _Hodge had explained at the time.

Now that Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane were locked away in Rikers Island Prison, Risman understood that there was the chance the two could potentially rat him out for supporting them financially. Thankfully, their lips had stayed sealed the whole time. Now, as Risman walked through his bank, he couldn't help but feel pride. In fact, he would be more than willing to support Senator Edward Kelly financially for his campaign since he'd lost Hodge, Stane and Warren Worthington Junior.

Suddenly, Risman was pulled from his thoughts as he saw the lights above his head flickering. At first, he figured that it was just the light bulbs needing to be changed by the custodians. However, when it happened several more times, he knew that something was off. That was the moment he heard several of the tellers and several clients screaming in fear. Turning around, he saw Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants standing there along with a few Morlocks. However, in that moment, Risman didn't feel fear. He felt nothing but rage at the sight of the Brotherhood and Morlocks breaking into his establishment; his second home.

"Magneto!" he spat in disgust, a cold, hard glare plastered on his face.

"Matthew Risman," Magneto said; his voice cold and voided of any emotion. "Owner of Risman Financial right here in Manhattan. You know, before you go financially supporting humans who decide to buy an island to oppress mutantkind, that you should hide it somewhere deeper."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Get the hell out," shouted Risman, loathing evident in his tone.

"Oh contraire," Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff spat out. "You know, anyone with common sense can find anything on the dark web. It just took a little quick search with the help of some technopathic mutants from the Morlocks for us to know the truth."

"If you're not going to admit to it, then maybe, just maybe, I can make you admit it," said Quentin "Kid Omega" Quire. He turned to look towards Todd "Toad" Tonybe, who had a cell phone ready to record the whole entire showdown for the world to see. Freddy "Blob" Dukes and Lance "Avalanche" Alvers went over to hold Risman in place.

"Get away from me you freaks!" Risman yelled in anger.

"Just do as we say, and nobody here gets hurt," whispered Clarice "Blink" Ferguson darkly. "For so many years, my mutation made me look so deformed; I couldn't even go out in public because I knew people would identify me as a mutant just by looking at me! My own parents kicked me out! You've got no _fucking clue _what I had to be put through; what the Morlocks had to be put through. I was living on the Goddamn streets, eating out of dumpsters like a _rat,_ before Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane grabbed me and drugged me and I awoke in a prison cell on the island of Genosha collared like an animal! If you do not see anything wrong with that, then _you're_ the one who is crazy."

Risman continued to glare at the Brotherhood and the Morlocks standing before him, who were looking at him with so much disgust and hatred towards him and the rest of humanity.

"They were not looking to kill you. They-They were doing that cure _for you!_" Risman growled, struggling under the grasp of Avalanche and Blob.

"_For us!" _Magneto let out a bark of emotionless laughter. "You must have one truly twisted idea of looking at things, Risman." He turned towards Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff, whose fingertips seemed to glow a bright shade of red as she made the lights above flicker. He then gave Toad a look to start recording a cell phone video. "Now, Mr. Risman, you _will _publicly admit to your actions and what you have done, or there will be consequences for your employees." He then turned to Kid Omega, who turned his attention to several of the bank tellers.

'You will stop breathing,' Kid Omega said telepathically to the two tellers, and both proceeded to struggle with breathing as they choked severely. Scarlet Witch proceeded to hold several other bank tellers in place using her hexing powers, almost as though she was binding them up from head to foot with restraints. It was a sight that Matthew Risman felt nothing but horror over as he watched. Everything he had ever worked for could be ruined either way.

"FINE!" he yelled out. Quentin Quire then let the tellers go, allowing them to gasp for air before he turned his attention to Risman.

'Tell the truth,' Kid Omega told the ruthless bank owner telepathically.

"I . . . Matthew Risman, am responsible for having financially supported Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane. I supported them in their attempt at conquest of turning the island of Genosha into an island used to illegally experiment the Worthington Legacy Cure on mutant children," Risman said finally, under Kid Omega's telepathic control. Finally, Toad stopped recording the video.

"Thank you, Mr. Risman, but you're not done yet. You are coming with us to our new home known now as Genosha. You are going to see the work we have done with renovating it since Hodge and Stane had been arrested," spat Magneto, an icy glare still in his eyes.

* * *

**Magneto's Citadel – Present Day **

For the past hour or so, Matthew Risman was bound with metal restraints in Magneto's citadel, his muscles aching and tense as he sat there. After Magneto had broken into his bank, he'd coerced him into exposing the fact that he had financially supported Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane. Upon his forced arrival to the island, Risman saw that the island was now occupied with mutants, even some of the mutant prisoners who had been held prisoner.

Leaned there against the wall with metal binding him from his shoulders to his feet, Risman let out a sigh of exasperation as he noticed Magneto coming into the room with his two children.

"Magneto, what the hell is the point of this?" Risman asked angrily, continuing to struggle.

"It's time for me and my Brotherhood to create a new world. It's a world where one day, mutants won't have to deal with the likes of _you!_" the master of magnetism spat coldly. "Humanity is doing nothing but poisoning the world for mutants everywhere. And you're part of that equation. Did you think for _one second _that those mutants whom you held against their will on this very island to get a cure injected into them had lives of their own? That there were mutant _children _on this island? Did you think about that? So how dare you suggest that you are any better than Hodge or Stane just simply because you provided them the finances for their little side project? How is that any better? You tell me."

"I will tell you I don't regret it," Risman said, his voice tinged with disgust and hatred towards Magneto.

"Really now?" asked Pietro. "Because that is just an excuse that you are coming up with right now; I'm not stupid. My sister and I had to grow up in Sakovia where we witnessed our mother get killed in front of us simply because she had a mutant for a husband and she was Jewish. How the hell is that any different than what Hodge and Stane were attempting at doing? I heard through the grapevine that that Legacy Cure nearly killed a young boy! How do you excuse that?"

"Don't lecture me! You're the one holding me hostage, kid. You are sick, you are going to hell; every last one of you!"

"Does it say in the Bible if we're going to hell or not?" Pietro asked rhetorically.

"You won't get away with this!" Risman growled.

"Oh contraire," Pietro said in a cold tone of voice. "We're already making this island our new home! At the rate Senator Edward Kelly is going, and the rate President Norman Osborne is going, mutants are with no doubt going to end up needing their own country!"

"GOOD! Have your own country. We don't need scum like you contaminating the United States of America!" shouted Risman angrily.

"_Contaminating?" _barked Wanda Maximoff. "Really? You're saying _we're _contaminating the country? Wow! That is so rich. And meanwhile, people like you are hiding and sneaking around and getting away with torturing and harassing us! You may justify it, but, there's _nothing _that can justify it. Lie to yourself all you wish to! We know the Goddamn truth!" Her fists turned an aurora of bright crimson as she glared at him.

"You really do not want to piss her off. She's got a temper on her," Pietro said, leaning a hand on his sister's shoulder to try and calm her.

"Sit back and enjoy the show, Mr. Risman. You're about to witness a change unlike anything you've ever seen before," Magneto whispered, and he and his two children walked out of the room. For them, it was quite convenient that Risman was right across from a huge open window to see the whole entire island for what it was.

* * *

**SHIELD Quinjet**

The X-men stood on the SHIELD quinjet as they flew towards the island of Genosha, not knowing exactly what it was that they were in for.

Putting all of the evidence together, it was clear to everyone that Magneto was planning on turning the island of Genosha into his new home, a country just for mutants. However, hearing that he potentially kidnapped the founder of Risman Financial was something that they all felt was low, even for the master of magnetism.

Scott and Jean stood on the quinjet in their X-men uniforms, which had gotten repaired with the help of Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton who were two of Nick Fury's best agents. Standing beside each other, Scott grabbed Jean by the hand to reassure her. He could tell that she was no doubt anxious.

"Jean, it's going to be fine. All I hope is that we just find this Risman guy and free him, because as much as I hate the idea of saving a dick like him, we need to remind ourselves we're doing the right thing right now," Scott told her.

"Yeah, Scott, I know," said Jean. "It's just . . . our lives are so crazy right now. Can we ever just sleep at night knowing that we don't have to fight for peace?"

"Nobody ever said it would be easy, Jean," said Cecilia as she moved to stand near them.

Everyone on the team noticed that since they got back from the Savage Land, how close Jean and Scott were hanging near each other. Sure, they were close before, but now, it seemed as though something had bloomed between the both of them. Logan knew from his experience of being a member of Alpha Flight and having been in the military, what happened when soldiers needed to lean so closely onto each other for survival. It was clear that Scott and Jean had formed an even deeper bond than they had previously. They might not notice it, but, everyone around them knew.

Tony sat on the quinjet, observing his prodigies and future employees. Nursing a glass of scotch, Tony took a sip. During the three weeks of his X-men having been missing in the Savage Land, Tony had been drinking a lot more heavily than usual due to how stressed and worried he had been.

The past year of trying to cut cold turkey from his alcoholism got thrown out the window after he saw his X-men get teleported off to God only knew where. The previous week, he had gotten so drunk he'd been nearly drowning in his own vomit leaned over his desk. And now, he was especially worried, because the previous week, he'd also felt pains in his chest, something he shouldn't be experiencing at the age of thirty-five. All he knew was now that the X-men were back where they belonged; he for sure was going to stop, no doubt. The last thing that he wanted was for his X-men to see him addicted to booze again. However, he also knew that they were all aware that he had a problem when it came to drinking.

Before the X-men knew it, they were hovering over Genosha, and they were on Magneto's new homeland. Scott let out a sigh as he adjusted his visor. Bobby went into his organic ice form.

"Alright, X-men, let's do this," Cyclops said. He nodded for Rogue, Marvel Girl, Angel and Storm to start flying off the aircraft with Iceman. Once the quinjet landed down, the professor, Beast, Wolverine, Natasha, Clint, Cecilia, Forge, Danielle Moonstar, and Cyclops got out of the plane the old-fashioned way. However, the minute they set foot on the island, that was the moment they were distracted by a hex bolt fired their way by the one and only Scarlet Witch.

"_Shit!" _hissed Rogue as she dodged Wanda.

"X-men, scramble!" Cyclops ordered as the Blob and Avalanche made their way over.

"Really, X-men, invading our turf? I thought we had more courtesy than to do that to you!" said Avalanche, stomping his foot down hard on the ground and releasing a shock wave that rumbled the ground below.

"MARVEL GIRL, WOLVERINE, ROGUE, DR. REYES, GO ON WITHOUT US!" Cyclops barked, firing a concentrated optic blast at the Blob.

"On it, Scooter!" Wolverine yelled. "X-men, let's go!"

Marvel Girl, Rogue and Cecilia followed Wolverine's lead, with Marvel Girl using her telepathy to try and find the mind of Matthew Risman. As much as she hated the idea of needing to rescue him, she also knew if she didn't, it would just make things worse for mutants across the United States. She and Rogue took the skies, Marvel Girl scanning the minds of everyone on the island of Genosha.

"I got him," she announced. "He's in the citadel!"

"Alright, Jeannie!" Logan said as they pushed forward, Marvel Girl dodging the attack of Quentin Quire, who attempted to attack her telepathically. Luckily, she managed to shield her mind and release a surging psychic attack on Kid Omega, causing him to pass out. The four X-men continued pushing forward in pursuit of just getting Matthew Risman out of there. But they also knew when they got hold of him, that he was no doubt going to face trial for his actions of funding Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane's illegal project. He had to face justice too, but, he wouldn't be able to if Magneto continued with holding him hostage like this.

Before they knew it, the four X-men were inside Magneto's citadel, which looked more like an iron maze than anything else in the world. Given that Magneto had the powers of controlling anything metal, it was no surprise that he would build a home like this for himself and anybody else willing to live on the island of Genosha.

"Dammit, this whole place is like a maze," said Rogue. "Ah heard Mystique sayin' that Magneto had aspirations of mutants having a new home to live in. When she said that, she wasn't kiddin'."

"Yeah, no kidding, Stripes," Wolverine said, popping his claws out.

"You reckon that we split up?" asked Cecilia.

"No, there's somethin' that don't smell right about this place. I don't like it. Stick together," Wolverine said, his instincts taking over as he turned to Marvel Girl. "Jeannie, can ya pinpoint this prick's location?"

"Yes, I can. He's on the top floor of this place. Rogue?" she asked.

"Okay, Ah'm on it." Rogue broke into flight and used her enhanced strength to punch her way through several floors. Despite the foundation of the building being what appeared to be vibranium or adamantium, Rogue managed to get through it easily. Marvel Girl used her telekinesis to form a bubble around herself, Cecilia and Wolverine to get them upstairs. Marvel Girl used her powers to get a feel of where Risman was.

"He's in the next room," she said. "I absolutely hate the idea of needing to save this prick, but it has to get done."

"At least after this he'll be in Alpha Flight's custody for his part in what happened on Genosha all those months ago," said Rogue with a heavy sigh. "Let's just stay positive by thinking that." They all made their way into the room where Risman was being held as a hostage. They saw that he was bound to the wall in nothing but metal. Cecilia shook her head, sighing heavily. Marvel Girl just released the corrupt bank owner from his bindings and went over to him.

"What was that for?" Rismon asked her.

"Just shut up, bub," Wolverine hissed.

"As much as I hate the idea of needing to rescue a dick like you, I've got no choice. I _could _use my telepathy to make you do and say whatever it is that I want like Quentin Quire does, but, I don't, and I won't. Like I would even give you the satisfaction," Marvel Girl said with a shake of her head as she and Wolverine dragged Risman along with them.

"Fucking freaks," spat Risman in disgust.

"Call us whatever names you wish. We just saved your ass," Cecilia said calmly. As they were about to move out of the room, they saw Magneto standing there, blocking their way.

"Oh my God, are you kidding me right now?" asked Marvel Girl around a groan as Magneto used his powers on them to bind them to the walls with his magnetism. "MAGNETO!" she yelled.

"Ms. Grey, do you honestly think I will let any of you leave this easily?" the master of magnetism asked them.

"Oh please!" shouted Rogue. "Magneto, enough! Just let us go and we'll be on our way home!"

"Not today, Rogue. You try breaking into my home, on my island," Magneto said coldly.

"MAGNETO WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS?" yelled Wolverine as Magneto started using his powers to force the Wolverine's claws out of his hands. Wolverine was in such a position that his hands were right underneath Marvel Girl and Risman's chins. He could so easily have Wolverine kill the both of them.

"The point is to show the world that my Brotherhood and I are not going to take humanity's abuse any longer, especially at the likes of men like this," said the master of magnetism.

"For the love of God, Magneto, just because we X-men fight for humans and mutants to live together peacefully doesn't mean that we are weak!" shouted Cecilia. "Do not get it twisted!"

Marvel Girl just stayed where she was, letting out a sigh. This whole entire situation felt so ridiculous to her; she was already sick of it. She wanted nothing more than to just go home. Taking a deep breath in the effort to keep herself calm in that situation, she knew not to get herself worked up in that moment in time. The more they stayed there, the more they were at Magneto's mercy as Wolverine's claws were forced closer and closer to Marvel Girl and Risman's throats.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" spat Risman in disgust towards Magneto. However, that was the moment a large, red optic blast forced the metal wall of the citadel down and a single arrow fired, exploding close to Magneto. It was enough of a distraction for Marvel Girl to use her telekinesis to release them from the metal restraints as Clint Barton used one of his trick arrows to get himself into the citadel. Marvel Girl had contacted Barton and Cyclops telepathically.

"Thanks Barton," Wolverine said gruffly as he grabbed hold of Risman again.

Clint nodded as he took hold of Risman from Wolverine. "It's no problem, Logan. He'll be in SHIELD's custody we can take it from here. Just go home. If anyone's earned it, it's you guys."

The four X-men nodded and they proceeded to make their way across the beaches of Genosha to meet up with the others with Cyclops, who all looked exhausted after having fought the Brotherhood. Cyclops especially looked exhausted. However, he did have a loose end to tie up with his younger brother.

"Alex," he said as he walked over to his brother.

"Scott?" Alex asked.

"I take it you're staying here?" Cyclops asked, not liking the idea of it at all.

"It's the safest place for me, Scott," Alex said. "My foster parents were being harassed so badly by the neighbors; I knew that it would get to a point where I would be in danger because of that. When Mystique approached me with the offer to live here, I couldn't pass it up."

"You could always come with us and get an education at the high school Bobby goes to," Cyclops offered.

"Believe me, Scott, I've considered that option, but, at this point, over these past three weeks, I feel so at home here," Alex said, though his eyes were drifting over to Lorna Dane, his cellmate from when they had been prisoner on the island together. He had grown closer to her during the past three weeks, nearly inseparable at that.

Cyclops looked over at Lorna, knowing what Alex was referring to. "You like her?" he asked his brother.

Alex grinned a little bit. "When you're stuck in a cell with somebody on this island when you're captured to be forced into taking a mutant cure, you get to know her pretty damn well," he said.

"Well, I cannot make your decisions for you, Alex. It's your life," Cyclops said as he and his brother hugged. "Love you."

"Love you too," Alex said. "Good luck," he added.

Cyclops let out a sigh as he walked back over to the SHIELD quinjet so that he and the others could all go back home. Taking his seat on the aircraft, he breathed out a loud sigh of exhaustion, closing his eyes as he felt Marvel Girl sitting beside him.

"I am drained," Jean groaned as she took her mask off of her face.

"I'll second that. I need twenty-four hours of sleep," Warren said as he sat beside Tony.

Logan sat down beside Scott and Jean, rubbing his hands over his face.

"I take it you're going back to Alpha Flight?" asked Jean.

"Actually, kid, I plan on stickin' with the X-men for a while," Logan said. "I'm stayin'."

Jean smiled tiredly, closing her eyes and allowing herself to rest for what felt like the first time in a thousand years.

* * *

**Up next: Holding onto Hope **


	20. Issue 40: Holding onto Hope

_Years ago, Charles Xavier took the prodigal son of Howard Stark under his wing when taking full responsibility over the company X-Corporation. Through X-Corporation, the X-men were formed out of effort to save a world that hates and fears mutants. However, this does not mean that their accomplishments have come with ease. _

_Their first failure being the murdering of Candy Southern, the X-men found more successes in recruits such as Rogue, Storm and Doctor Cecilia Reyes. However, recently, they were faced with the challenge of being transported to the place known as the Savage Land by Magneto's Brotherhood, who had teamed up with the New York City Morlocks. _

_After having survived three weeks in the Savage Land, the X-men came even closer together as a family. However, they had one last mission, which was to rescue Matthew Risman who had been the main financial backer behind Obadiah Stane and Cameron Hodge, who had used the island of Genosha as a place for mutant slavery. Now, with Magneto in a private prison under SHIELD's custody, the governing of Genosha is bestowed over to his children, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff._

* * *

**Issue 40: Holding onto Hope **

**Stark Pharmaceuticals – Warren's Office **

A week after the X-men's mission on Genosha went by quickly, which meant that life had to go on as usual. For Warren Worthington III, he knew that it meant needing to get up every day and going to work.

Shortly after the mission on Genosha was over, the X-men were informed by SHIELD that Matthew Risman and Magneto had both been arrested. Now, Genosha was going to be ruled and governed by Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Magneto was going to be in a plastic prison under custody of SHIELD. With Matthew Risman, he couldn't escape the justice system. With the help of Tony's lawyer, Matthew Risman got sent to Rikers Island in a cell right next to Obadiah Stane and Cameron Hodge for being the financial backer behind a project that led into the kidnapping and ruthless murdering of Candy Southern.

Sitting at his desk, Warren was on a phone conversation with his mother and father, discussing with them what was only going to happen further.

"_So you and the X-men were in a place with actual dinosaurs for three weeks?" _asked Warren's mother, Katherine.

"Yeah, Mom, but we survived that," Warren assured her.

"_Well, we're glad that you're okay. So, what's going to happen next?" _Warren Jr. asked his son.

"I'm putting all my focus now into Stark Pharmaceuticals and making sure that this company is profitable. This mutant-friendly medicine is only going to help further, especially for those who need it. All I can do is that," Warren replied back.

"_Well, we're very proud of you and we're happy for you. And again, we're sorry that we . . ." _his mother started to say.

"Mom, you and Dad have apologized so much; I actually believe it's genuine. You both have made up for a lot over these past few months, and it started with you, Dad, admitting that you screwed up and admitting to what you did. It was a big step for the both of you," Warren said. "Okay? And I appreciate that. But it's still going to take a while for me to trust the both of you completely one-hundred percent."

"_We know, son," _said Warren Junior. _"Well, we'll leave you to get back to work. Good-bye, love you." _

"Love you, too," Warren replied, hanging up the phone as he got up from his seat to stare out the window, reflecting on everything had happened over the course of the past five to six months or so.

Ever since the recruitment of Scott Summers, Jean Grey and Bobby Drake, Warren's life seemed to become a lot more full over time of him living at X-Corporation Tower. Years ago, he'd never thought he'd have another shot at having a family again. Now, after the recruitment of Rogue, Ororo Munroe and Cecilia Reyes, Warren's "family" had expanded more than he thought that it could.

'Who would have thought that I would have been able to have something like this six years ago after my parents had disowned me?' he mused as he stared at the New York City skyline. He grinned as he thought this. Turning his image inducer off, he allowed his wings to be exposed before jumping out of his large office windows. Just feeling the cool air hitting his face as he flew through the air never failed to bring Warren serenity; it brought him nothing but peace. Sure, Warren had the image of appearing to be a billionaire playboy, but, he also took pleasure of the simple things in life.

* * *

**X-Corporation Tower – The Danger Room **

Life for Logan "Wolverine" Howlett seemed to get easier as time went on, especially after having joined the X-men permanently.

After packing up his stuff and moving to X-Corporation, Logan found that transitioning from being with Alpha Flight to being with the X-men was as he easy as he thought that it would be. Plus, that also meant he could use the Danger Room for himself more often. However, that did not mean he was alone in there when he ran the Danger Room.

He found ever since moving, Scott "Cyclops" Summers, Jean "Marvel Girl" Grey, and Anna-Marie "Rogue" D'Ancanto were joining him more frequently in getting their workout in, much like how they were currently.

Logan was running a Danger Room session with Scott, Jean and Anna-Marie on a slightly more difficult level, knowing that Scott was insisting on a challenge. They had been in the session for nearly an hour, the scenario being set on Genosha.

"Wow, Scott . . . are you trying to kill me?" Jean asked as she dodged a century gun firing away at her.

"Seriously, sugah, did ya have to ask for this?" asked Anna-Marie.

"Quit complaining guys. After what we just did on Genosha, this should be a breeze in comparison," Scott said, firing an optic blast beam.

"Careful what ya wish for, kids," Logan said.

Finally, Rogue grabbed hold of Logan and threw him towards a canon, ultimately ending the session.

"Alright, good work, kids," Logan told them. "Go, scram."

Rogue proceeded to head off to hit the showers while Scott and Jean lingered behind, both panting for breath.

"I thought I told ya both to go," Logan told them.

"You don't control us," Jean pointed out, pulling her hair back.

"Touché," Logan said gruffly to her. "But, do not think that just because I am livin' here now with you runts that I will be softening on you guys."

"Yeah, very true," Scott said with a nod.

"But, Scooter, since you pretty much are our field leader, I'm gonna need ya to start organizing the sessions in the Danger Room," Logan told his student.

"If I start doing that, are you going to be happy about it, or are you going to be a control freak since you've been training me all these months?" Scott asked.

"We'll see, bub," Logan told him. "But, I trust ya, and I know what yer capable of, kid. I know yer gonna make the right choices. Now the both of you, get outta here, go."

The former living weapon watched as Scott and Jean exited the Danger Room together hand-in-hand. He didn't know exactly what was forming between his two students, but, from what Logan could sense, Scott and Jean have gotten closer. He internally smiled as he watched them; the both of them have come a long way from being two, undernourished, orphaned teens to two healthy; hard-working, responsible young adults. It was almost hard to believe how much the two of them had changed over the course of five to six months of just simply living at X-Corporation. Logan couldn't be prouder of the two of them.

* * *

**Marsden Regional High School **

'Wow, if my high school algebra is this complicated, I wonder how college math is gonna be,' Bobby Drake thought.

After nearly six months of living in Manhattan, it seemed as though Bobby's life had been turned upside down, as though somebody had flipped a table on him and he was still trying to turn it all back around. However, he also knew that with the school year nearly coming to a close, that he was looking forward to the summer more than anything else.

Bobby was sitting in his algebra class that he shared with Peter, trying his best to pay attention to the lecture that his teacher was giving the class. Ever since moving and transferring to Marsden Regional, Bobby's life seemed to be even more chaotic. This was especially after he had told the entire world that he was a mutant, and not just any mutant, but the Iceman of the X-men. After having done that publicly, he'd faced his share of backlash from students at school, in particular students like Duncan Matthews and Eugene "Flash" Thompson who made their hatred for mutants loud and clear. On top of that, Duncan's girlfriend, Taryn Fujiko, stuck by his side like she was glued there, and she was up his ass. It also did not help that his mother and father hadn't called him, even after he had come home from the Savage Land. That more than anything hurt; that his parents hadn't called him to ask him if he was alright.

"Pete, I swear to God, I love a good challenge with math, but, this is like college level stuff," said Bobby under his breath as he looked at the problem before him. It was inequalities . . . great, one thing that his old high school in Boston had _never_ taught anybody at all.

"Just push through it, buddy," Peter said. "Who knows, maybe Mrs. Lee will give you a gold star on your final if you pass with an a hundred?"

"Oh shut the hell up," Bobby said with a roll of his eyes. "I love you, man, no homo even though I _am_ gay. But I'm telling you if you say that to me again, I will put you on ice, in front of M.J just to see how she'll react. After all, she drools over you secretly."

Peter's ears went red at the mentioning of Mary-Jane having a crush on him. It was one thing that he could hardly believe at all, that Mary-Jane, his best friend and one of the most popular girls in his grade, liked him that way.

"Don't go there, or I will make some modifications to your yearbook picture," Peter threatened.

"Fuck you." Bobby glared jokingly at his friend, though a smirk made its way onto his lips.

The two boys proceeded to stay quiet for the rest of their math teacher's lecture until the end of class. Getting up from their seats, they went out into the halls so that they could head to their Biology class that they shared together. However, as they headed there, they could see Flash Thompson and Duncan Matthews harassing Johnny and Angelica in the hall.

"You've gotta be kidding me," hissed Peter in disgust towards Flash and Duncan as he overheard what the two jocks were saying towards his friends.

"Seriously, Storm, how could you be with a freak like this? I mean aside from the fact that you both are hotheads?" asked Duncan.

"Duncan, shut the hell up and back off! I'm done taking your bullshit!" Johnny said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I really feel like asking you what your IQ is, because I may have an IQ that's worthy of being flushed down the toilet, but, at least I'm not a total ignoramus."

"I don't know what the fuck that means, Storm, but, what I can tell you is that as far as I'm concerned, once you're associated with freaks, you're a freak," spat Flash.

"Oh for the love of God, Flash, I wouldn't waste too much time forming words. You might need it later on," Johnny quipped. "Besides, the more time you form words that actually would require thinking, which is probably too much for you and your walnut-sized brain to handle."

That was enough for Duncan and Flash to become more than a little bit pissed off, which lead to them tackling Johnny to the ground and beating on him. The sight of it was more than enough for his girlfriend, Angelica, to grow angry, her fists starting to form flames around them and flames starting to dance wildly off her hair. That was the moment she released a pyrokinetic blast of energy at Flash, his shirt catching on fire. Bobby went in, shooting a blast of ice at Flash's shirt to stop it from completely being submerged in flames.

"Angelica, chill out!" Bobby told her as Mary-Jane came over to see exactly what was happening. "Girl, are you out of your mind?"

"Stay the hell out of this, Drake, Parker, this doesn't concern either one of you two fags!" shouted Duncan.

Bobby flipped Duncan the bird, going over to pull Johnny to his feet. "Like you even know what that word means! That's an old-fashioned word for the word "stick." Besides, I'm above name-calling and insulting people like a little bitch, especially with the use of gay slurs!" he said calmly.

"He's right. Besides, Duncan, how's about you get out of here and leave Johnny and Angelica alone, no harm done?" Peter suggested calmly.

"How's about _you _get outta here before I shove my fist up your mouth, Parker?" spat Duncan. He balled his right hand into a fist, getting ready to throw a punch Peter's way.

"I don't wanna fight you, Duncan," Peter insisted, though he didn't seem as though he were about to crawl into a ball and be a coward.

"C'mon Duncan, stop it!" Mary-Jane said, exasperated as she watched Duncan throw a punch. However, what shocked her and everyone else watching was the fact that Peter, who typically was the one to get the living crap beaten out of him in two seconds flat, managed to dodge the punch. This just seemed to make Duncan angrier as Peter dodged yet another punch. When Duncan was about to run in to throw another punch, Peter somehow managed to avoid it by doing a backflip. Duncan finally seemed to give up after at least five minutes of making the attempt at beating Peter up, and he punched a locker door hard as a result, leaving a dent.

"This isn't over, Parker!" he yelled as he and Flash made their escape. It did not stop Johnny, Bobby, Angelica, and Mary-Jane from casting Peter mesmerized looks.

"Pete, dude, what the hell was that?" asked Johnny. "Because I have _never _seen you dodge a punch like that."

"It's nothing man. It's nothing," Peter insisted.

"Dude, ever since that exhibit with the radioactive spiders at Dr. Curt Connors' lab in Oscorp, you've been different," pointed out Johnny.

"I'm not different. How am I different?" Peter asked.

"Well, for starters, you're not wearing glasses anymore," Angelica pointed out as they all walked towards their respective classes.

"Dude, if you're sick, I can totally have my future brother-in-law run a couple blood tests on you. Are you burning up or something dude?" Johnny jokingly placed his hand against Peter's forehead.

"Wow, the hothead asking me if my temp is too high! That is so rich," Peter said with a shake of his head and a grin on his face.

"Touché," Mary-Jane said. "Now, let's get to class, and we can worry about this during lunch," she suggested.

"Agreed, thank you for ending the nonsense," said Angelica as she walked off towards her art class.

* * *

**Lobdell Veterans Housing **

"No more mutants! No more mutants! No more mutants!"

Lobdell Veterans Housing prided itself on being one of the many veterans' buildings in New York City; however, that moment in time, it was the location of a meeting currently taking place.

"No more mutants . . . no more mutants . . . no more mutants!" the crowd of at least forty-five men and women there chanted over and over, fists raised in the air in anger as they wore shirts and hats that read "FOH" on them.

"Kill every last one of the mutie freaks!" someone in the small crowd cried out.

"Muties go home!" another shouted in anger and hatred.

Taking the stage was their leader, Graydon Creed, who stood at the podium smiling at his followers with a bitter smile.

"Now, now, now, gentlemen, ladies," he said with a ruthless, cunning look in his eyes as he looked at everyone there.

"Creed, seriously?! You _do _know that we're at risk as long as muties are roaming free! Come on! Those X-men especially who had Matthew Risman and Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane arrested! For what? For trying to stop those freaks from destroying our country? Because from what I can tell, President Osborn isn't doing shit, and he claims he's on our side!" spat one of the followers.

"Now, now James, have some patience, my friend. I can almost promise you, that once the _Friends of Humanity _make their presence known to the country, the muties aren't even gonna wanna come out of their homes, including those Morlock freaks who think that they are too good to live on the surface world," said Creed calmly. "Believe me; we _will _take back the state of New York, and then the rest of the country! The world belongs to the humans, not the mutants. We will make that very, very clear, believe me."

* * *

**Stark Tower – Tony's Office **

The week following the return of the X-men should have been a week that brought Tony Stark some form of relief. However, he was shocked that he was still underneath a great deal of stress and that he was still drinking so heavily.

Tony knew that being a recovering alcoholic meant that he should not be drinking. However, the temptation was always there. It was the demon in the bottle. He couldn't stop himself from reaching for the closest bottle of liquor that he could find. However, what concerned him more was the fact that a couple weeks prior, he'd experienced severe chest pains when he had been in his office. At age thirty-five, he knew that at his age there were risks for heart condition. He just hoped that was not the case. He could not be the owner of X-Corp while dealing with health issues.

Sitting in his office, he was awaiting the arrival of Dr. Cecilia Reyes, the resident doctor of X-Corporation to come by with results. He had gone to her earlier that day, asking her about what was going on with him, and when he'd told Cecilia what had happened, she had been in shock over it.

Before Tony knew it, Cecilia appeared in his office, holding an iPad in her hands and wearing a look of dread on her face. Tony let out a sigh. He knew that the bad news was coming.

"Dr. Reyes?" he asked her, swallowing hard.

"Tony, you came to me earlier today asking me questions about the fact that you were experiencing chest pains at least a week or so ago. You did tell me that during the three weeks the X-men and I were missing in the Savage Land, you had been drinking a lot more excessively. I understand that you have been making the attempt at cutting cold turkey. But I've noticed just how frequently you have a drink," Cecilia said.

"What's the verdict, Doc?" Tony asked her. "Because I can tell that whatever it is that you have gotta say, I am not gonna like one bit of it."

"You're right, Tony. From what my data tells me, your excessive drinking has led to you beginning to develop heart arrhythmia," Cecilia said bluntly. "And at your age, that's not good. You're thirty-five. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to not just heart arrhythmia, but worse conditions later in life."

"So what you're saying is . . .?" Tony started to ask.

"From the looks of it, you're pretty damn close to having something worse. This explains why you've been having chest pains. You do know what this means for you, right?" Cecilia's voice was grim as she said what she said.

Tony nodded. Hearing that he had developed heart arrhythmia was something that scared him greatly. He knew what that meant. He knew that having that meant an irregular heart rhythm, panic attacks, and dizziness. When he'd passed out those couple weeks ago after drinking, he'd just assumed it meant that he had too much to drink. But, now that he knew what the case was, it scared him gravely.

"What I am saying, Tony is that you have got to stop drinking, or else, heart arrhythmia will be the least of your problems. So therefor, your only option is to stop drinking, or you will get sicker," Cecilia said sternly. "You better start getting serious about sobriety, or else, you know what will happen. Okay, I have to get back to work at X-Corp."

Tony nodded. "Bye, Doc," he said as he watched Cecilia leave.

'Shit,' he thought as Cecilia closed the door to his office. Looking at the half-empty bottle of vodka sitting on his desk, he closed his eyes, feeling the sickness pooling in his stomach as he swallowed hard. He knew exactly what this meant for him: it meant sober up, or die. The young, billionaire playboy released a breath he didn't even know that he was holding in. He reached over for a glass, contemplating taking a shot of whiskey, before deciding against it completely.

* * *

**Washington, D.C SHIELD Base – Magneto's Prison Cell **

'As if I didn't have any more reasons to lose my faith in humanity . . . this just gave me another reason.'

Sitting in his plastic prison in SHIELD's Washington, DC base, Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr was staring at the television that he could see from where he was sitting. The news was replaying the same footage over and over: of the X-men being interviewed by the police after they had saved Matthew Risman. The master of magnetism felt nothing but bitterness. The fact that they had rescued Risman and threw him under the bus was something that he was hardly able to just get over. However, he was also hearing that Risman was in prison. But, that did not make up for what that monster had done to financially support Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane to illegally experiment on his people.

For the past week, Magneto had been in SHIELD's custody, and he was awaiting trial as they spoke. He knew that his trial would ultimately determine just how long he would be in SHIELD's custody. However, he also knew what his daughter and Mystique were capable of as far as handling affairs on the island of Genosha. He knew that with no doubt that Wanda had the charisma and the intelligence to govern the private nation for mutants.

The old Holocaust survivor had plenty of reasons to hold bitterness towards humanity, one of the many reasons being that he had lost his mother and father at the hands of merciless Nazis in a Poland concentration camp. He'd had to live in a ghetto while his mother and father suffered intense abuse that they tried to hide from him. But, Erik had seen it all. He'd watched as young, Jewish girls were raped mercilessly and then killed right in front of him. It finally came to a head when he was four, and his magnetism powers came earlier than anyone could ever expect. Being born during the Holocaust was something that would for sure scar any child for life. It had been a moment that shocked him to no end. Finally, he reached his adult years, and he met Charles Xavier at Oxford when he was in his fifties and they were both getting their degrees there. Magneto was considerably older, but, at the time he'd felt a deep kinship with Charles Xavier, leading to their friendship. But, their friendship had splintered after Erik had lost his wife, his beautiful Magda.

Erik closed his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching his cell. He could hear Clint Barton speaking to him.

"You have a visitor, Mr. Lehnsherr," he informed him. Erik opened his eyes to see Charles Xavier himself, sitting there in a plastic wheelchair with a plastic chess board in his lap. Clearly, his old friend was looking for a game of chess. Did it surprise Erik? No, not in the slightest.

"Charles," he whispered, shaking his head.

"Can we have a moment?" asked Charles to Clint.

Clint nodded, though he added to Magneto, "Do not try anything stupid," in a warning tone.

Erik sighed as Xavier came into the plastic prison, setting the chess board down on a table.

"Erik," he said.

"Charles," Erik said in reply. "I see you fancy a game. But I know you're also not just here for that," he added.

"Indeed, Erik," Charles said, starting the game. Being able to read Erik's mind to figure out what move he was going to make was something that he did dating back to their years at Oxford. "You know Erik, what it is that you are making the attempt at doing, it's not the way to go."

"How would you know, Charles? You wouldn't," the master of magnetism asked bitterly as they started their game of chess.

"I do know that you suffered, Magnus. But you must try to listen to reason, for once. How is what you're doing proving anything?" Charles moved his bishop over.

"You have got no idea what I had to suffer through, Charles. I've seen more suffering than you ever have in a lifetime. Just because you can look inside my head, it doesn't mean that you know how I feel," Erik said in a cynical tone. "Why do you continue to try and fight for peace when the world outright refuses to hear you?"

"For holding onto hope," Charles explained softly.

Erik let out a sigh as his cold eyes stared at his long-time friend. "It's been a while since I've played," he said, deciding to change the subject between the two of them.

* * *

**A/N: **

**And that's a wrap! We are officially finished with Peace in Our Time volume 2! Thanks to all for reviewing and reading every week. This volume was quite a ride, bringing in characters like Cecilia Reyes and Rogue. It brought forth personal moments for characters such as Bobby, Warren, and Rogue. Volume 3 will be posted on the 26th of January, and character reflections for various characters featured in volume 2 will be posted throughout December and January. Volume 3 is one that is going to be especially exciting, and that one is going to be updated bi-monthly every two weeks, mostly because I want to treat it like a true comic book so that way, between volumes 3 and 4 I can do a Christmas special in between those two volumes. As much as I love posting weekly, I realized that I won't be able to do a Christmas special this year given the circumstances. Next year, the opportunity will allow it since I will be going back to bi-monthly updates. Keep an eye out for reflections that will be posted in December and January.**

**Volume 2 reflections will be posted in a little while!**

**I just want to also take the time to thank my co-author and mentor MarvelMaster616. Like with volume 1, I wouldn't have been able to do this without you. Thank you for your endless support and being by my side via email through this process this past year. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to help me with this.**

**Also, be sure to go and check out my story The Evolution Project! **

**Excelsior muties! And have a good Thanksgiving! **

**DC-MarvelGirl 1997**


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